Penn State wrestling great Roman Bravo-Young is making his MMA debut June 29,he tweeted Thursday night.
Stepping in the grappling game until I can wrestle again. June 29th. Letโs go! pic.twitter.com/Lwy0RoVcLN
— Roman Bravo-Young (@RomanBravoYoung) May 26, 2023
โStepping in the grappling game until I can wrestle again,โ RBY wrote. โJune 29th. Letโs go!โ
RBY will be taking on Alex Perezย in a featherweight bout on part of the fourth UFC Fight Pass Invitational.
The 31-year-old Perez is 24-7 as a pro. RBYโs first pro fight comes more than a year after another Penn State wrestling legend, Bo Nickal, made his professional MMA debut. Nickal had his first pro fight June 3 as part of Jorge Masvidalโs Ikon Fighting Championship. He knocked out John Nolandย in 32 seconds.
From there, Nickal competed in UFC boss Dana Whiteโs Contender Series, winning both of his fights there to earn a UFC contract. His anticipated UFC debut came March 4, where he submitted Jamie Pickett in the first round.
Itโs unclear if RBYโs MMA career will mirror Nickalโs, but his legacy at Penn State is set in stone. Bravo-Young put together one of the greatest careers in Penn State history. He was a three-time All-American, winning three Big Ten championships and two national titles. Bravo-Youngโs career didnโt have the storybook ending he and Penn State wanted. The 133-pounderย lost his last college match, this past March, a national final against Cornellโs Vito Arujau. Nonetheless, what a career it was.
Although heโs planning to dabble in MMA, Roman Bravo-Young is still focused on having a wrestling career. This was evident in his tweet announcing his impending MMA debut and is also evident by him joining the Nittany Lion Wrestling Clubย earlier this week.
Per its Twitter bio, the NLWC โserves wrestling at all levels, including Scholastic, Collegiate & Olympic.โ The 2024 Olympics, which are set to take place in Paris, are less than a year and a half away. The Penn State greats who will be representing team USA in the Olympics will also be representing the NLWC.
