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Roman Bravo-Young
American wrestler (born 1999) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Roman Guillermo Bravo-Young (born January 28, 1999) is a Mexican–American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms.[2] In freestyle, he represented Mexico at the 2024 Summer Olympics and was the Pan American champion in 2025.[3]
In folkstyle, Bravo-Young was the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division I National champion at 133 pounds and a four-time All-American for the Pennsylvania State University.[4][5][6]
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Career
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High school
Bravo-Young attended Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona,[7][8] where he was an undefeated four-time state champion with a 182–0 record.[9] Also a US U17 World Team member in freestyle, Bravo-Young committed to the Pennsylvania State University.[10]
Pennsylvania State University
2018–2019
Before the folkstyle season started, Bravo-Young placed second at the US U23 National championships in freestyle.[11]
As a true freshman at 133 pounds, he earned a Keystone Classic title and placed third at the Southern Scuffle.[12][13] After placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships, Bravo-Young became an All-American with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA National Championships, closing out the year with a 25–7 record.[14][15]
Bravo-Young then placed second at the U20 US Open and grabbed a gold medal from the U20 Pan American Championships in freestyle.[16][17]
2019–2020
As a sophomore, Bravo-Young won the Black Knight Invitational and Wilkes Open and only lost one match during regular season, to top-ranked Seth Gross.[18][19] After improving to a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, the NCAA National Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting his season short with a 20–2 record.[20][21]
2020–2021
During the pandemic, Bravo-Young competed in freestyle, taking out NCAA finalist Jack Mueller at FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo, Shelton Mack at the NLWC II, and eventual UFC champion Aljamain Sterling at the NLWC IV.[22][23][24]
Going back to folkstyle, Bravo-Young had an undefeated regular season, and claimed his first Big Ten title with a win over rival Austin DeSanto from Iowa.[25] At the NCAA Championships, Bravo-Young became a national champion with a hard-fought win in sudden-victory over NCAA finalist Daton Fix from Oklahoma State, after an undefeated tournament.[26] He closed out the season with a 14–0 record and was named the Penn State Male Athlete of the Year.[27]
2021–2022
After another undefeated regular season, Bravo-Young claimed his second Big Ten title with another win over Austin DeSanto.[28] At the NCAA Championships, Bravo-Young became a two-time national champion with another win over Daton Fix, capping yet another perfect season with a 22–0 record.[29]
2022–2023
In his extra season, granted to athletes due to the 2020 season being cut short, Bravo-Young once again went undefeated during regular season and claimed his third Big Ten title.[30] At the NCAA Championships, he advanced to the finals, but was defeated by Vito Arujau from Cornell to claim runner-up honors, ending his season with a 20–1 record.[31] Bravo-Young graduated as a two-time NCAA national champion, four-time All-American, and three-time Big Ten champion, with an overall record of 100–10.[32]
In June, Bravo-Young competed in submission grappling against UFC veteran Alex Perez at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4, with the match ending in a draw.[33][34]
Mexico
2023
In July, Bravo-Young announced he would transfer and represent Mexico in freestyle, his grandparents' native country.[35] By the end of the month, Bravo-Young claimed the Mexican National Qualifier title, wearing the Mexican singlet for the first time.[36]
In December, Bravo-Young claimed the Mexico Grand Prix title down at 57 kilograms, defeating all three opponents by technical fall.[37]
2024
To start off January, Bravo-Young claimed a gold medal from the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane, scoring wins over African champion Diamantino Iuna Fafé and US National Team member Daniel Deshazer.[38]
In March, Bravo-Young competed at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament, in an attempt to qualify Mexico for the Summer Olympics.[39] After victories over Enrique Herrera and Pedro Mejías to make the semifinals, Bravo-Young was able to defeat Óscar Tigreros to become a 2024 Summer Olympian.[40]
In June, Bravo-Young competed at the Poland Open, where he grabbed wins over African champions Gamal Mohamed and Diamantino Iuna Fafé on his way to a championship.[41]
In August, Bravo-Young made his Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where after dropping his opening match to four-time European champion and two-time U23 World champion Arsen Harutyunyan from Armenia, he was eliminated from the tournament.[42]
In November, Bravo-Young competed at the Korea Open, defeating his two Japanese opponents to claim the championship.[43]
2025
To start off 2025, Bravo-Young competed at the prestigious Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin in January, where he went 1–1.[44] Next, he claimed a bronze medal at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open, earning three victories over international competition and a loss to three-time NCAA champion and Olympic finalist Spencer Lee in a highly anticipated contest.[45][46][47]
In May, after three victories over foreign opposition, Bravo-Young claimed the gold medal at the Pan American Championships.[48] He gave Mexico its first gold medal performance in 32 years at the tournament.[49]
Bravo-Young competed at the Ulaanbaatar Open in June, in Mongolia.[50] After a win over Turkey, he pinned India's Olympic bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat in the semifinals before suffering a loss to Mongolia.[51]
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Wrestling style
Bravo-Young is known for his fancy footwork, speed, and ability to explode from a relaxed and elusive stance into a takedown.[52][53][54] Defensively, he is known for employing explosive acrobatic flips to get out of dangerous situations.[55][56][57] Bravo-Young trains with former UFC champion Dominick Cruz from time to time, who has some of the most versatile footwork in mixed martial arts.[58][59]
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Personal life
Bravo-Young got engaged to soccer player Ellie Wheeler at CPKC Stadium on March 15, 2025. He proposed to her on the field after her game with the Kansas City Current.[60]
Freestyle record
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NCAA record
Stats
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Submission grappling record
References
External links
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