2025 World Team members Woods, Hendrickson, Olympic champion Hildebrandt shine in RAF 01 in Cleveland

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some of USA Wrestling's current -- and past -- standouts put on a show in the first-ever Real American Freestyle event, dubbed RAF01, on Saturday night (Aug. 30) at the Wolstein Center.

The new professional organization, headed by Chad Bronstein, Eric Bischoff, Izzy Martinez and the late Hulk Hogan, featured a 10-match card that featured nine NCAA champions, five Olympians and four World/Olympic medalists.

Also among the field were two 2025 U.S. Senior World Team members in Real Woods and Wyatt Hendrickson, who will travel to Germany for acclimation camp in just four days. Both came away with lopsided wins.

Woods earned the first -- and so far, only -- pin in RAF history with his second-period stick of Darian Caldwell at Featherweight (145 lbs.). Woods took his first lead with a takedown and gut late in the first period, but Caldwell also earned exposure and only trailed by a point after two minutes. But Woods blew it open in the second, scoring on a go behind, earning two more guts and holding the former N.C. State NCAA champ on his back on the latter for the fall at 3:29.

Hendrickson closed out the show with a dominant 14-1 tech against Egypt's Mostafa Elders in the Main Event Heavyweight (Unlimited) bout. He built up a big 8-0 lead in the first period, just running out of time on a double leg in the waning seconds of the frame. He counted an Elders arm throw attempt early in the second then blew through a four-point double leg to end the bout at the 3:08 mark.

2024 Olympic champion Sarah Hildebrandt, who currently serves as an assistant women's national coach for USA Wrestling, rolled to an 11-0 technical fall against Zeltzin Hernandez at Strawweight (120 lbs.) -- in her competition since capturing gold in Paris. Hernandez nearly scored on an early double leg that was white paddled; the rest of the bout was all Hildebrandt, who, with Hernandez on the shot clock, finished a single leg and trapped an arm to tack on two guts in the first period and ended the bout with another takedown and lace with :36 remaining.

Kyle Dake, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and four-time NCAA champion at Cornell, cruised to an 11-0 technical fall at Cruiserweight (190 lbs.) against Oklahoma State 2025 NCAA champion Dean Hamiti. 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.

Kennedy Blades, the third U.S. Senior World Team member slated to compete, was forced to withdraw from the Middleweight (150 lbs.) bout due to NCAA rules. UFC legend Holly Holm stepped in on less than 48-hours notice to face Mexico's Alejandra Rivera, who rallied to earn a 9-7 decision. In her first-ever wrestling match, Holm led until halfway through the second period after pancaking Rivera to her back early in the first period. But Rivera responded with a pair of four-point headlocks to take the lead then added a stepout and staved off Holm's attempts through a scoreless third period.

In perhaps the most exciting match of the night, 2025 Final X runner-up Evan Wick used a late takedown to secure a 10-8 decision at Middleweight (175 lbs.) against 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up Jason Nolf. After trading takedowns in the first period, Wick surged with two takedowns and a gut in the second, but Nolf responded with two takedowns of his own and trapped an arm for a gut and his first lead midway through the third period. Wick just missed on a late go-behind attempt but on an ensuing restart, finished on a low single to retake the lead inside the final :25. A late scramble produced no points, and Wick held on in the instant classic.

Bo Nickal also 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. 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.

Cleveland native Nathan Tomasello earned a 4-3 win over Matt Ramos in the opening bout at Bantamweight (135 lbs.). The veteran, a 2015 NCAA champion for Ohio State, built a four-point lead with two stepouts apiece in the first and second periods, using his trademark high crotch to secure both second-period scores. Ramos, who graduated last spring as a two-time All-American for Purdue, pushed the pace in the third, got on the board with a stepout and finished on a go-behind takedown in the final :10 but ran out of time on the comeback attempt.

In the first of two Lightweight bouts (155 lbs.), 2022 World silver medalist Yianni Diakomihalis earned a 5-1 win against a familiar opponent in 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time world medalist Bajrang Punia of India. After the two traded shot-clock points in the first and second periods, Diakomihalis, who earned four NCAA titles at Cornell, surged midway through the third, first neutralizing a Bajrang double-leg shot before scoring on an ankle pick and immediate stepout.

Austin Gomez, who finished his college career as an NCAA finalist for Michigan, cruised in the other Lightweight bout, earning an 11-0 technical fall against former Ohio State Lance Palmer in just 1:02. Gomez jumped out to an early six-point lead, scoring off the opening whistle with a pair of gut wrenches. He added a stepout point then converted another go behind and gut to end the match and earn a showering of boos from the Ohio crowd. Gomez is set to represent Mexico at 70kg at the Senior World Championships next month.

Real American Freestyle RAF01

August 30, Cleveland, Ohio

Bantamweight (135 lbs.) – Nathan Tomasello (Team Thunder) dec. Matt Ramos (Boilermaker RTC), 4-3

Lightweight (155 lbs.) – Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. Bajrang Punia (Cliff Keen WC), 5-1

Lightweight (155 lbs.) – Austin Gomez (Cliff Keen WC) tech. Lance Palmer (Ohio RTC), 11-0

Middleweight (175 lbs.) – Evan Wick (TMWC/AWA) dec. Jason Nolf (Nolf WA/Kingsway JJ), 10-8

Strawweight (120 lbs.) – Sarah Hildebrandt (OPTC) tech. Zeltzin Hernandez (Gomez Academy), 11-0

Featherweight (145 lbs.) – Real Woods (Cliff Keen WC) pinned Darrion Caldwell (Wolfpack RTC), 3:29

Cruiserweight (190 lbs.) – Kyle Dake (NLWC/TMWC) tech. Dean Hamiti (Cowboy RTC), 11-0

Middleweight (150 lbs.) – Alejandra Rivera (Mexican National Team) dec. Holly Holm (IzzyStyle), 9-7

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) – Bo Nickal (NLWC) dec. Jacob Cardenas (Cliff Keen WC), 6-4

Heavyweight (Unlimited) – Wyatt Hendrickson (WCAP) tech. Mostafa Elders (Talents WC), 14-1