A new freestyle wrestling league co-founded by Hulk Hogan is heading to Happy Valley
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- RAF02 to be held Nov. 8 at Penn State’s Rec Hall following RAF01 debut
- Main card includes Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Mason Parris, Tito Ortiz vs. Chael Sonnen
- Penn State alumni Bo Nickal, Aaron Brooks and Beau Bartlett featured on RAF roster
A new, unscripted freestyle wrestling league — Real American Freestyle (RAF) — that was co-founded by Hulk Hogan and streams on Fox Nation announced that it’s heading to Penn State’s campus.
The league comprised of college, UFC and Olympic wrestlers just finished its inaugural event, RAF01, on Aug. 30 in Cleveland. Its second-ever event is now scheduled to take place at Penn State’s Rec Hall on Saturday, Nov. 8.
“After the love we felt in Cleveland, we knew we had to raise the bar,” co-founder/CEO Chad Bronstein said in a news release. “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.”
A RAF spokesperson declined to share much with the CDT at this early point. The official could not say how much tickets cost, when they will go on sale via Ticketmaster (”shortly”), or when the undercard would be announced. It also wasn’t clear what time the event would start or whether Penn State wrestlers would take part.
According to a news release, Real American Freestyle counts three Penn State alumni as its wrestlers in Bo Nickal, Aaron Brooks and Beau Bartlett. That doesn’t necessarily mean any would compete Nov. 8 — but it’s certainly possible, if not likely.
At this point, only the main card for RAF02 at Penn State is known. At heavyweight, reigning RAF champ Wyatt Hendrickson — who upset Gable Steveson in the 2025 NCAA title match — will take on Michigan alum Mason Parris. In light heavyweight, retired MMA fighter Tito Ortiz is set to wrestle fellow retired MMA figher Chael Sonnen.
“Matches are still being determined,” a RAF spokesperson wrote in an email to the CDT. “RAF02 will feature a new slate of top-tier matchups, showcasing returning champions defending their titles, as well as new challengers seeking to take them. The fight card will be shared in the coming weeks.”
Before Hogan’s death in late July, he spoke with the Sports Business Journal and told the outlet he hoped the new league would serve as an alternative for wrestlers looking to make their way into the industry and for fans seeking a new type of wrestling show. He told the SBJ in April that the league was in the works for at least seven months at that point.
Hogan was expected to be the new league’s commissioner. He died July 24, reportedly of a heart attack.
The decision to hold the next event on Penn State’s campus seems like a natural fit. Head coach Cael Sanderson has turned the Nittany Lions’ wrestling program into one of the most dominant dynasties of all-time, as they’ve amassed 12 national titles since 2011. In the last 15 years, Penn State has also produced more than three dozen individual national champs while amassing a half-dozen Dan Hodge Trophies.
Nickal, who won the Hodge in 2019, is among the RAF’s current 40-wrestler lineup. In fact, Nickal is the RAF Light Heavyweight Champion after winning his first bout in RAF01.
For more information on RAF, and future information on RAF02, visit RealAmericanFreestyle.com.
