By Zack Chavez
USA Wrestling

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – With no shortage of storylines on display at RAF11 on July 18, Ben Askren, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2026, stole the show after returning to the mat at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena following a near-fatal medical battle in 2025. After taking Belal Muhammad the distance in the co-main event, Askren left his boots on the mat, signaling his retirement and closing the door on an extraordinary competitive wrestling career. Earlier that night, Adeline Gray made RAF history by winning the organization’s first-ever Women’s Cruiserweight match.

After a successful opening two rounds, Askren held a 3-0 lead heading into the third period against Muhammad. Muhammad responded with a takedown in the opening 30 seconds of the final frame, then added four points to secure a 6-3 victory over Askren.

Askren made his wrestling comeback on Saturday, following a 2025 double-lung transplant that left him in a coma for 40 days. His remarkable return to the sport marked the latest chapter in a storied career that included an appearance at the 2008 Olympic Games, a 2009 World Championships gold medal, two Dan Hodge Trophy awards and two NCAA national titles at the University of Missouri.

Gray, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist at 76 kg, defeated Skylar Grote in the Women’s Cruiserweight bout. Grote held a 2-0 lead in the second period, but Gray evened the score before closing the match with a third-period takedown, securing a 5-2 victory.

Trent Hidlay was dominant from start to finish in his 10-0 victory at Light Heavyweight over Magomedkhan Magomedov. Hidlay tallied six second-period points and, in the opening moments of the final period, landed a takedown to end the match early. The win earned him Performance of the Night honors and improved his RAF record to 3-0.

The card opened with a middleweight meeting between Keegan O’Toole, a two-time NCAA champion and five-time All-American, and Christopher Minto, a two-time NCAA All-American and 2026 NCAA runner-up at 174 pounds. Minto surprised O’Toole with a 5-0 lead at the first break, but O’Toole stormed back, closing the match with a takedown and two gutwrenches to secure a 14-9 win in an offense-heavy matchup.

Michael Caliendo’s RAF debut ended in a 9-2 victory over Mirzo Khayitov. After Caliendo built a 7-0 lead in the opening seconds of the final period, Khayitov countered an attack and secured a takedown with 13 seconds left. Caliendo closed out the match, starting his RAF career on the right foot.

Anthony Cassioppi won his heavyweight matchup against 2024 Olympian Mostafa Elders of Egypt. After a pair of shot-clock scores and a takedown, Cassioppi held a 4-0 lead after the first period. Despite a comeback effort by Elders, Cassioppi held on to finish with a 6-2 win.

In the men’s light heavyweight matchup, Zac Braunagel made the most of his RAF debut, earning a 12-2 technical fall over Pat Downey. Downey held a 2-0 lead after the first frame, but Braunagel took over with 12 unanswered points in the final two periods to close the clash in compelling fashion.

Ben Davino nearly pulled off an upset over Arsen Harutyunyan, a two-time Olympian and three-time Senior World bronze medalist. Davino jumped to a 5-0 lead in the opening period, but Harutyunyan scored three points over the final four minutes to escape Davino with a 6-5 victory.

Aeoden Sinclair delivered an impressive performance against 2024 Olympic gold medalist Magomed Ramazanov of Bulgaria, but was defeated 6-3 in the Cruiserweight bout.

Other winners on the July 18 card include Colby Covington, Frankie Edgar and Lucia Yepez.

Complete results from RAF 11 are available below.

RAF 12 is set for Saturday, August 22, at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, with six-time World champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs headlining against UFC Welterweight Sean Brady. Bo Nickal, Jason Nolf, David Carr, Kennedy Blades and Ben Davino will also be featured on the card.

Tickets for RAF 12 are available for purchase on SeatGeek.

More information on Real American Freestyle is available at realamericanfreestyle.com.

Real American Freestyle 11 

At Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 18 

Final Results 

Men’s Cruiserweight (Title Match) – Colby Covington dec., Arman Tsarukyan, 5-2

Men’s Cruiserweight – Belal Muhammad dec., Ben Askren, 6-3

Men’s Catchweight – Frankie Edgar dec., Clay Guida, 9-1

Men’s Middleweight – Keegan O’Toole dec., Christopher Minto, 14-9

Women’s Cruiserweight – Adeline Gray dec., Skylar Grote, 5-2

Men’s Bantamweight – Arsen Harutyunyan dec., Ben Davino, 6-5

Men’s Light Heavyweight – Trent Hidlay tech. fall, Magomedkhan Magomedov, 10-0

Men’s Cruiserweight – Magomed Ramazanov dec., Aeoden Sinclair, 6-3

Men’s Light Heavyweight – Zac Braunagel tech. fall, Pat Downey, 12-2

Men’s Heavyweight – Anthony Cassioppi dec., Mostafa Elders, 6-2

Men’s Welterweight – Michael Caliendo dec., Mirzo Khayitov, 9-2

Women’s Strawweight (Title Match) – Lucia Yepez tech. fall, Felicity Taylor, 10-0