UFC star Bo Nickal made his return to freestyle wrestling at Actual American Freestyle 1 on Saturday night time.
He took on Jacob Cardenas, a two time NCAA All-American from Michigan, within the co-main occasion of the inaugural Actual American Freestyle occasion. Nickal’s match was his first freestyle match since his loss to David Taylor on the 2020 Workforce USA Olympic Trials.
Additionally on RAF 1, Wyatt Hendrickson headlined, Holly Holm stepped in on brief discover for a wrestling match, and Kyle Dake gained his match.
Bo Nickal tops Jacob Cardenas
Bo Nickal, who suffered his first professional MMA loss in Might to Reinier de Ridder, returned to type after leaping out to an early lead within the first interval. After a fast duck underneath, Nickal’s lead wouldn’t be relinquished till the third interval.
Nickal, who’s a 3 time NCAA nationwide champion, took his time to attain however when he did shot, it was clear that Nickal might nonetheless wrestle at a really excessive stage. However Nickal wouldn’t be rolling via Jacob Cardenas.
Cardenas got here again to even up the rating and take the lead within the third interval with lower than a minute to go and seemed for a leg lace to stack on the factors. However Nickal, as skilled as anybody on the cardboard, scored a reversal and seemed to pin Cardenas, driving him out and taking dwelling the win.
In his publish battle speech with Chael Sonnen, Bo Nickal admitted that he felt sluggish however was nonetheless comfortable along with his win at RAF. He went on to say that, “I’m the Deion Sanders of fight sports activities,” alluding to his UFC profession that he and his workforce has excessive hopes for.
Nickal additionally mentioned that he absolutely meant to compete at RAF once more.
RAF delivered from prime to backside with a number of the greatest names in wrestling exhibiting as much as face off with different nice names in fight sports activities, hottest of all Holly Holm. Sure, the previous boxing and UFC world champion Holly Holm who dethroned Ronda Rousey donned a singlet and wrestling sneakers to tackle Alejandra Rivera on sooner or later discover.
Rivera was initially slated to tackle Kennedy Blaydes earlier than Blaydes was compelled out with harm. In stepped Holm who jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. The group on the Wolstein Heart have been all on their ft as the primary interval concluded.
Rivera would roar again and take the lead however not earlier than Holm would rating one other takedown with a head and arm throw. In the long run, nevertheless, Holm would drop her first ever freestyle match with a decent rating of 9-7.
Wyatt Hendrickson, Kyle Dake, Sarah Hildebrandt
In the primary occasion, NCAA champion Wyatt Hendrickson took on Egypt’s heavyweight Olympian Mostafa Elders. “Captain America” rolled via the heavyweight Olympic workforce member, tanking his option to eight unanswered factors within the first interval, together with a barrel roll to attain factors for the Oklahoma State alum.
Hendrickson practically acquired the tech within the first interval, however Elders was saved by the bell. Hendrickson would end off Elders early within the second interval to take the tech fall with an enormous rating of 14-1.
Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hildebrandt got here out of retirement for RAF 1 as properly, taking up Zeltzkin Hernandez. Hildebrandt, who gained a gold medal on the 2024 Olympic Video games, ran via Hernandez and scored a tech fall within the third interval.
Kyle Dake, the 4 time freestyle world champion, gained his match with Dean Hamiti through tech fall, 11-0. Actual Woods defeated MMA fighter Darrion Caldwell with a second interval fall, Evan Wick beat Jason Nolf, and Austin Gomez defeated former PFL champion Lance Palmer as properly.
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