WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue wrestling assistant coach Matt Ramos will make his professional debut on Saturday, Aug. 30, at the inaugural Real American Freestyle event known as RAF 01.
Taking place at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Ramos will square off in a freestyle match with former NCAA champion and four-time All-American Nathan Tomasello. The Ramos-Tomasello match, designated at 135 lbs, will open the star-studded card at 7 p.m. ET.
A live broadcast will be streamed on Fox Nation. A free trial is available for those who aren’t already subscribed. Kurt Angle will be on the broadcast call along with Chael Sonnen and Bubba Jenkins.
It will be Ramos’ first match since finishing his college career in March as a two-time All-American and one of the most accomplished wrestlers in school history. Tomasello, an Ohio State legend who won four Big Ten championships, has gone on to have a successful freestyle career after his dominant 2014-18 stretch as a Buckeye. Since then, he took third at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and second at the 2021 U.S. World Team Trials.
The RAF is a first-of-its-kind unscripted professional wrestling league that aims to launch some of the world’s most dominant grapplers into mainstream stardom. The organization is backed by pro wrestling notables Izzy Martinez, Eric Bischoff and the late Hulk Hogan prior to his passing.
“It is going to be beyond anything the sport has ever done before,” Martinez said in an interview with USA Wrestling. “There is a team of people we have hired who are experts in sports, whether it is FIFA soccer, whether it is UFC, whether it is WWE. We have one of the best production teams ever. Not only that, we have the best wrestlers on the planet at the highest level. Our production is going to be the same. You will see great video angles, camera cuts, audio, lighting, preview packages. It is going to be an electric experience for everyone.”
Ramos and Tomasello join fellow wrestling stars Bo Nickal, Jacob Cardenas, Wyatt Hendrickson, Kyle Dake, Dean Hamiti, Real Woods and more to make up the first event. Tickets are still available for Saturday night in Cleveland.
MATCH CARD
| Nathan Tomasello | 135 lbs | Matt Ramos |
| Yianni Diakomihalis | 155 lbs | Bajrang Punia |
| Lance Palmer | 155 lbs | Austin Gomez |
| Jason Nolf | 175 lbs | Evan Wick |
| Sarah Hildebrandt | 120 lbs | Zeltzin Hernandez |
| Real Woods | 145 lbs | Darrion Caldwell |
| Kyle Dake | 190 lbs | Dean Hamiti |
| Kennedy Blades | 150 lbs | Alejandra Rivera |
| Bo Nickal | 205 lbs | Jacob Cardenas |
| Wyatt Hendrickson | Unlimited | Mostafa Elders |