The Nebraska Wrestling Training Center secured its first Real American Freestyle Champion last night when Ridge Lovett beat Jordan Oliver 13-2 to capture the vacant belt at Lightweight (155 pounds).
A former two-time NCAA Champion and 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Champion, Oliver has proved throughout his career that he’s really good at wrestling, but at 36 years of age Oliver provided little resistance to the 26-year-old Lovett in this match.
An NCAA Champion in 2025 for Nebraska, Lovett went up
2-0 in the first period with a shot-clock point and a step-out point. In the second period, Lovett scored two more push-outs to go up 4-0, but Oliver was able to blast a double-leg takedown, cutting his deficit to 4-2.
From there, it was all Lovett who scored a takedown of his own late in the second period, taking a 6-2 lead to the final two-minute period. Oliver was able to pick Lovett’s ankle, but the former Husker went into the waterfall position, draped over the top of Oliver. After nearly getting exposed, Lovett was able to sit the corner, lock through the crotch and flip Oliver for a two-point exposure. The sequence was challenged, but Oliver lost the review, giving Lovett another point for a 9-2 lead.
Late in the period when Lovett could have packed it in, he chose instead to shoot for Oliver’s legs, collecting them for the takedown with nine seconds left — he then got to his gut wrench and turned Oliver for two more points with just two seconds remaining, securing the dominant win via 13-2 technical superiority.
That late barrage was a serious statement for Lovett to send to his fellow RAF wrestlers.
The highlights can be found here:
However, if you want to watch the full match, it can be found here:
As for Lovett’s first title defense, he called out the UFC fighters — naming Tommy “Gun” McMillen specifically. Both from the Pacific Northwest — McMillen was a three-time state champion out of Montana while Lovett was a four-time undefeated state champ in Idaho.
I personally think they’ll give him another wrestler or two before a match like that materializes, but I would love to see him defend his belt against Zain Retherford or face top-ranked contender Enazar Akhmataliev out of Kyrgyzstan. Retherford beat Lovett twice this summer at Final X to make the U.S. World Team at 70 kg, while Akhmataliev beat Retherford 3-3 in July at a RAF event.
As for Husker and American goat Jordan Burroughs, the 38-year-old took on 23-year-old Mikey Caliendo in the very next match.
Facing Caliendo — a two-time NCAA finalist for Iowa — Burroughs struggled to get to his offense throughout the first two periods while giving up a takedown in the first. Going into the third period down 5-0, Burroughs hit one of his patented double-legs and scored a shot-clock point, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
With a chance to steal the win, Burroughs instead gave up an exposure late when Caliendo hit an ankle pick. Burroughs went to the waterfall position, but Caliendo was able to expose him. Showing he still has no quit in him, Burroughs kept wrestling and scored a final cartwheel exposure, but it wasn’t enough as he dropped the match 7-5.
Here’s that final sequence:
