Roman Bravo-Young

Bravo-Young attended Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona, where he was an undefeated four-time state champion with a 182–0 record.[7] Also a US U17 World Team member in freestyle, Bravo-Young committed to the Pennsylvania State University.[8]

Before the folkstyle season started, Bravo-Young placed second at the US U23 National championships in freestyle.[9]

As a true freshman at 133 pounds, he earned a Keystone Classic title and placed third at the Southern Scuffle.[10][11] After placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships, Bravo-Young became an All-American with an eight-place finish at the NCAA National Championships, closing out the year with a 25–7 record.[12][13]

Bravo-Young then placed second at the U20 US Open and grabbed a gold medal from the U20 Pan American Championships in freestyle.[14][15]

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.[16][17] After improving to a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, it was announced that the NCAA National Championships had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting his season short to end it with a 20–2 record.[18][19]

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.[20][21][22]

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.[23] 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.[24] He closed out the season with a 14–0 record, and was later named the Penn State Male Athlete of the Year.[25]

After another undefeated regular season, Bravo-Young claimed his second Big Ten title with another win over Austin DeSanto.[26] At the NCAA Championships, Bravo-Young became a two-time National champion with another win over Daton Fix, capping off yet another perfect season with a 22–0 record.[27]

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 and last Big Ten title.[28] At the NCAA Championships, he cruised to the finals with hard-fought wins, but was defeated by Vito Arujau from Cornell to claim runner-up honors, ending his season with a 20–1 record.[29] Bravo-Young graduated as a two-time NCAA National champion, four-time All-American and three-time Big Ten champion, with a record of 100–10.[30]

In June, Bravo-Young competed in submission grappling against UFC veteran Alex Perez at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4, the match ending in a draw.[31][32]

In July, Bravo-Young announced he would be transferring and representing Mexico in freestyle, his grandparents' native country.[33] By the end of the month, Bravo-Young claimed the Mexican National Qualifier title, wearing the Mexican singlet for the first time.[34]

In December, Bravo-Young claimed the Mexico Grand Prix title down at 57 kilograms, defeating all three opponents by technical fall.[35]

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.[36]

In March, Bravo-Young competed at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament, in an attempt to qualify Mexico for the Summer Olympics.[37] After victories over Enrique Herrera and Pedro Mejías to make the semifinals, Bravo-Young was able to defeat Óscar Tigreros to become an Olympian, and will now be competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics.[38]

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.[39]