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Saturday night is opening night for Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF)! The organization’s first offering will be a ten-match card (RAF 01) held at Cleveland State’s Wolstein Center. This card is a star-studded offering that features five wrestlers who have won Senior World/Olympic medals, plus some up-and-coming stars who could make that list increase in the future. In addition, we have some wrestling legends who have turned their focus to other athletic ventures but have now returned to the mat to compete at RAF 01. So let’s look at the card itself, match-by-match in our preview. The bouts have been listed in the order they are scheduled to take place. Bantamweight (135 lbs) - Nathan Tomasello vs. Matt Ramos The evening will get underway with this scrap between a pair of former national finalists at 125 lbs. Nathan Tomasello was a national champion as a freshman on Ohio State’s NCAA title-winning team in 2015. He would go on to capture four Big Ten titles, making him the second Buckeye wrestler to accomplish the feat. In four NCAA appearances, Tomasello never finished lower than third. Ramos recently concluded a successful career at Purdue, during which he earned two NCAA podium finishes, placing second and fourth. He is best remembered for his colossal upset of three-time national champion Spencer Lee in the 2023 NCAA semifinals. Ramos is a former U17 world champion in freestyle will continue his career on the international circuit representing the Philippines. Both wrestlers are capable of some fireworks and could get the Cleveland crowd on their feet from the opening whistle. You have the hungry Ramos coming off an excellent collegiate career against a Tomasello who has been on the domestic freestyle scene for a while, but is waiting to take that next step. Lightweight (155 lbs) - Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia This is a matchup we’ve seen before but both times it’s taken place, it has been highly entertaining for wrestling fans. Both wrestlers are fan favorites and like to put points on the scoreboard. Yianni Diakomihalis is looking to get back on the winning track after a stunning loss at Final X. Diakomihalis was shocked by high school senior PJ Duke when attempting to make his third senior world team. Back in 2022, Diakomihalis snapped the American medal-less streak at 65/66 kg when he made the world finals. That also accounts for his most recent world team appearance. Diakomihalis is the first of two four-time national champions from Cornell slated to compete on this card. The familiar foe for Diakomihalis is Indian star Bajrang Punia. Punia is a four-time world medalist and a 2020 Olympic bronze medal winner. His best showing at the world championships came in 2018 when he claimed the silver medal. Truthfully, I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect from Punia. His last major competition was the 2022 World Championships (he took bronze). When at his peak, Punia was able to push the pace and had a gas tank that was more like American wrestlers compared to many foreign counterparts. Lightweight (155 lbs) - Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer Speaking of not sure what to expect - that’s the case in the other lightweight contest as hometown hero Lance Palmer returns to the Resilite to take on Mexican Olympic representative Austin Gomez. Palmer was a four-time All-American on Tom Ryan’s first Ohio State teams. As a senior, he defeated Brent Metcalf in the Big Ten finals, but lost to him at NCAA’s. Since then, Palmer has focused primarily on MMA. In the months leading up to this match, there have been lots of Palmer sightings in the Buckeye wrestling room. Gomez established himself as one of the most exciting collegiate wrestlers of his era. He capped his career with a 2024 NCAA finals appearance for Michigan. Gomez has had a breakthrough 2025 on the international scene. He claimed a Pan-American title and bronze at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event, but that doesn’t account for his best win of the year. In Hungary, Gomez dominated 2023 world champion Iszmail Muszukajev, 10-0. He didn’t place at that event because he pulled out for precautionary reasons, but that win established him as a key contender in the 2025 medal hunt at the World Championships. This should be an interesting clash of styles. Gomez is generally pretty wide open offensively and can throw the kitchen sink at an opponent. Palmer is a physical grinder who can overwhelm his opponents with physicality. Middleweight (175 lbs) - Jason Nolf vs. Evan Wick This might be the most interesting bout of the evening. Evan Wick is another competitor who is fresh off a loss at Final X. In doing so, Wick established himself as someone at the top of the pecking order at 79 kg. To advance to Final X, Wick had to down Cornell All-American and then had a surprisingly one-sided win over 2025 NCAA champion Dean Hamiti. Now he’ll face Jason Nolf, who has taken some time off to focus on a career in grappling. Nolf was one of the most dominant collegiate wrestlers of the past decade. He made four NCAA finals and claimed three titles. Over the last three years of his career, Nolf’s only loss came via injury default. His lowest bonus point percentage saw him earn an extra point in 80% of his matches. His highest mark was 92%. If not for some incredible teammates, Nolf would have a Hodge Trophy or two. He has also been on the cusp of making a Senior World or Olympic Team. In 2023, Nolf lost in Final X to Kyle Dake. A year later, Dake beat him in the Olympic Trials finals. Wick had a decorated career at Wisconsin and Cal Poly that saw him finish third in the nation on two occasions. As a senior, Wick defeated returning national champion Shane Griffith in the Pac-12 finals to earn the #1 seed at the NCAA Championships. So, after about a year removed from high-level wrestling competition, can Nolf jump in and take out the second wrestler on our domestic ladder at 79 kg? It seems like a tall task, but we don’t have many examples of Nolf losing. Women’s Strawweight (120 lbs) - Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez Earlier this year, it looked like we might have seen the last of Sarah Hildebrandt in a competitive atmosphere as she took a position on USA Wrestling’s staff coaching the women’s freestyle team. Not so fast, my friends! The 2024 Olympic champion is back! Hildebrandt’s Olympic gold medal was the icing on the cake of a career that might have otherwise been overlooked a bit because of some of her teammates' success. The gold medal should ensure that Hildebrandt’s place in US women’s wrestling is secure as one of the all-time greats. The numbers are staggering. Eight world/Olympic appearances. Two Olympic medals (gold/bronze). Four world medals (two silver and two bronze). From 2018 to 2024, Hildebrandt made every World/Olympic team. The tall task of taking on Hildebrandt belongs to Mexico’s Zeltzin Hernandez. In 2024, Hernandez was a silver medalist at the U23 World Championships. Earlier that year, she won a Pan-American U23 title by defeating American Montana Delawder. Because of Hildebrandt’s current job, we’re not sure exactly what kind of fighting shape she’ll come into Cleveland with. That being said, she’s likely on the mat a lot. If she’s close to top form, this could be a rout. Featherweight (145 lbs) - Real Woods vs. Darrion Caldwell Another transition to a competitor whose status is unknown. 2009 NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell moves from the MMA cage to the wrestling mat as he faces our Senior World representative, Real Woods. Caldwell was one of the most electric wrestlers of his generation. That was evident in his 2009 finals upset of Brent Metcalf. Since then, Caldwell has focused on MMA and even won a world title in Bellator. Could lightning strike twice and Caldwell take out another former Hawkeye? Woods is in the middle of the best stretch of his Senior level (and collegiate career). He finished fourth at the US Open, but a few weeks later, he knocked off Aden Valencia, Jesse Mendez, and Brock Hardy to earn a spot in Final X. At Final X, Woods swept Joey McKenna in a pair of close, physical matches to earn a spot on the world team. It’s an excellent accomplishment for a wrestler who didn’t win a college national title. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb stating that Darrion Caldwell taking out our world team representative is highly unlikely at 37 years old and being away from wrestling competition for so long. That being said, I do think Caldwell can put together some moments that remind us of how he was one of the must-watch wrestlers of his era. Cruiserweight (190 lbs) - Kyle Dake vs. Dean Hamiti This was initially supposed to be Kyle Dake against Missouri redshirt freshman Aeoden Sinclair. Compliance concerns from Missouri led to the bout being scrapped and Dean Hamiti was added. I might like this matchup more. Dake is another wrestler who comes to Cleveland after losing at Final X. There, he was knocked off by Zahid Valencia. Before 2025, Dake had made seven straight world/Olympic teams - medaling in each one of them. Dake has four world titles and a pair of Olympic bronze medals to his name. Combined with his unique collegiate career that saw him win four national titles at four different weights (without a redshirt), Dake is one of the all-time greats of USA Wrestling. But, judging by his eagerness to participate in RAF, Dake isn’t worried about accomplishments and calling it a career. Hamiti capped off his collegiate career with a national title at 174 lbs earlier this year. He had to run through a gauntlet that included past nationals champions Keegan O’Toole and Levi Haines (current Senior World Team member). Hamiti then went to the US Open and fell to Evan Wick in the finals. Again, this matchup is interesting stylistically for me. Dake is typically measured in his attacks and is the ultimate high-IQ wrestler. At times in his career, Hamiti has been a high-volume shooter. If that’s the case, he could get exposed by Dake. You also have to consider Hamiti’s corner. It includes Dake’s longtime rival and friend, David Taylor. Taylor coached Valencia to a win over Dake at Final X. Some might look at the weight as a factor that favors Dake. That’s probably true, but I don’t know that he was quite as big as a typical 86 kg wrestler. Women’s Middleweight (150 lbs) - Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera One of the first wrestlers signed by RAF and one of the “faces of the franchise” is Kennedy Blades. The 2024 Olympic silver medalist moved down from 76 kg to 68 kg and has been as good as ever. Maybe better? Blades has been undefeated at her new weight class - winning gold at the Croatian and Hungarian Ranking Series event, along with the Pan-Am’s. To make the 2025 world team, Blades crushed the competition at the US Open and then cruised to a pair of wins over Brooklyn Hays at Final X. Blades’ opponent will be Alejandra Rivera of Team Mexico. Rivera has competed at the Senior World Championships on two occasions, but has yet to medal. Perhaps her best international performances have come at the age group level, where she was a Pan-American bronze medalist at the Cadet and Junior levels. With the organization unofficially tabbing Blades as the torchbearer for the women’s division, I think that Blades will be ready to dazzle as one of the night’s featured bouts. Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) - Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Cardenas The co-main event pits former Hodge Trophy winner and current UFC fighter Bo Nickal against three-time All-American Jacob Cardenas. This is another instance of a talented wrestler who just finished his collegiate career against one who is more decorated, but has had his focus elsewhere. Nickal was the 2019 Hodge Trophy winner after pinning 18 of 30 opponents and earning bonus points in 27 of those bouts. Before making the move to the MMA cage, Nickal won a U23 world championship and advanced to the finals of the 2020 Olympic Trials. Speaking of U23’s, Cardenas is the only American wrestler to medal three times at the event. He was a silver medalist in both 2022 and 2024. Cardenas got on the NCAA podium twice for Cornell before finishing his career at Michigan earlier this year. With the Wolverines, Cardenas won a Big Ten title and earned the #1 seed at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Although Nickal’s primary focus has been MMA, he hasn’t strayed far from his wrestling roots and probably isn’t that rusty. Cardenas, on the other hand, has been training out of Michigan’s Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, which has been one of the best of its kind in the country. Cardenas should enjoy a size advantage, but I don’t know if it’s enough to swing the pendulum in his favor. Heavyweight (UNL) - Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Mostafa Elders The 2025 NCAA Championships finished with Wyatt Hendrickson in the main event - so will RAF 01. It will be a role reversal for Hendrickson, as he’ll be the heavy favorite here after coming into Philly as a sizeable underdog against Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. Since his NCAA finals win, Hendrickson has been on a rampage throughout the heavyweight class. He crushed the field at the US Open and swept Trent Hillger at Final X. His second bout with Hillger ended up being the highest-scoring match in the history of the event (34 total points). That means Hendrickson will be able to put up points against anyone, but might be susceptible to giving up a few points here and there. Hendrickson’s opponent will be Egyptian Olympian Mostafa Elders. Elders is a two-time African champion and actually won the 2025 Bill Farrell in Greco-Roman. Like Blades, it seems as if Hendrickson is someone that RAF wants to put front and center in their promotion. He’s in this spot to cap this card with a memorable match. I think he’ll have RAF, and the fans, what they’re looking for!