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Penn State to host Real American Freestyle (RAF) 2 this November

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel09/04/25GregPickel
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The Penn State wrestling mat at Rec Hall.

Real American Freestyle, the startup professional league that bills itself as the “first unscripted pro wrestling league for the best athletes in the world,” is coming to Penn State. After the company held its inaugural event in Cleveland in late August, it announced on Thursday that its second will take place at Rec Hall. The card, which is sure to feature former Nittany Lions but has not yet been announced, will take place on Nov. 8. Information about the start time and ticket availability is also not yet available. FOX Nation will stream the event live from State College.

“After the love we felt in Cleveland, we knew we had to raise the bar,” RAF co-founder and CEO Chad Bronstein said in a statement to The Associated Press. “Penn State is more than just a wrestling school, it’s a proving ground. The intensity, the fans and the tradition show there is no better place for RAF02 than the famous Rec Hall.”

On RAF’s first card, Penn State great Bo Nickal beat Michigan’s Jacob Cardenas to become the league’s first world heavyweight champion. Fellow former Nittany Lion Jason Nolf lost in the middleweight world title match to Cal Poly’s Evan Wick. And, NLWC member Kyle Dake won the world cruiserweight title.

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“Bo Nickal used a late score to reclaim a lead in his 6-4 win in his return to the wrestling mat against Jacob Cardenas in the Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) bout,” USA Wrestling wrote in a recap of Nickal’s match. “Cardenas rallied from a three-point deficit in the third period with a low single takedown and shot-clock point and lead on criteria with around :30 left, but Nickal countered his late gut attempt and put Cardenas on his back and hold him there of the remainder of the bout. Nickal was a 2019 U23 World champion, and is currently competing in the UFC.”

It added on Dake’s 11-0 technical fall win:

“Dake went big in the first period, attempting a four-pointer with Hamiti draped over his shoulder; Hamiti avoided exposure, but Dake went for it again and converted on the edge. He added two stepouts in the second, then ended the bout with a takedown and gut with just :05 left in the third.”

Fans can visit RAF’s website to input their email address to learn information about tickets, including pricing and when they will go on sale by clicking here.

The RAF 2 card will take place around the same time as Penn State wrestling begins its 2025-2026 season. A full schedule for that is not out yet, either.