Former NCAA Division-1 National Champion Bo Nickal will collide with three-time NCAA Division-1 All American Jacob Cardenas as part of the upcoming Real American Freestyle (RAF) event on Sat., Aug. 30, 2025 inside Wolstein Center at CSU in Cleveland, Ohio.

RAF is the unscripted freestyle wrestling promotion led by WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan and former WCW Executive Producer Eric Bischoff (more on that here).

“We set out to make history with Real American Freestyle and with these matches, we’re doing just that,” said Izzy Martinez, Chief Operating Officer of Real American Freestyle. “We’ve got the best wrestlers, the best promoters, the best storytellers, the best production, and the best team, and we’re going to give audiences the thrill of a lifetime on August 30 with RAF01.”

Here’s the current RAF01 lineup:

Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Cardenas
Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia
Darrion Caldwell vs. Real Woods
Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer
Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera
Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez

Expect more RAF01 matchups to be announced in the coming days.

Nickal (7-1) suffered his first MMA loss when he was stopped by Reinier De Ridder at UFC Des Moines last May in Iowa. A date for his Octagon return has yet to be determined; however, RAF’s partnership with UFC allows Nickal to compete between fights.

The 29 year-old Nickal is currently unranked at 185 pounds.