Former Husker National Champion Ridge Lovett just won the US Open this past weekend, securing him a spot in Final X in June when Team USA decides its World Team, but he’s going to be busy up until then.
If you haven’t seen Lovett’s finals win this weekend, I implore you to watch it now — it’s one of the most entertaining freestyle matches you’ll ever watch.
Lovett will not only face Olympic Medalist Bajrang Punia of India at Real American Freestyle 09 on May 30, but he’ll also be joining former teammate
Liam Cronin in wrestling for Team USA at the Pan-American Championships earlier in the month in Coralville, Iowa May 9-10.
First, let’s talk about Lovett securing a match on RAF 09 against Punia. A staple on the World scene and a five-time World and Olympic medalist at 70 kg, Punia earned a bronze medal at the 202One Olympics in Tokyo in addition to his 2018 World silver and trio of World bronzes (2013, 2019, and 2022).
For a guy like Lovett who is new on the Senior level, a match against a seasoned veteran like Punia could prove invaluable. I would imagine that this match in addition to Pan-Ams right before it are all in an attempt to gain freestyle experience before Final X and potentially the World Championships.
According to RAF, the winner here will get a shot at the RAF Lightweight Championship (155 pounds), a belt previously held by Yianni Diakomihalis who beat Punia 5-1 at RAF 01. You can watch that match below.
At the Pan-American Championships, Lovett will represent Team USA at 70 kg while Cronin will be at 57 kg. Likely the favorite to win gold, Lovett looks on the verge of taking the 70 kg world by storm.
Cronin earned a spot on the US National Team last year and represented his country at Pan-Ams where he came home with a bronze medal. After falling to former Penn State National Champion Roman Bravo-Young of Mexico in the semifinal, Cronin beat Venezuela’s Pedro Mejias Rodriguez 5-4 with a late takedown for bronze.
It’s unclear if Bravo-Young will be competing after suffering a foot injury in February, but Cronin will be a medal threat again nonetheless.
