Roman Bravo-Young
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| Full name | Roman Guillermo Bravo-Young | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | RBY | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 28, 1999 Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | 57 kg (126 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Nittany Lions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Nittany Lion Wrestling Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Cael Sanderson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Roman Guillermo Bravo-Young (born January 28, 1999) is a Mexican-American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms. In freestyle, he has won multiple international tournaments while representing Mexico, where he is a two-time National champion.
As a folkstyle wrestler, Bravo-Young was the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division I national champion at 133 pounds, as well as a four-time All-American out of the Pennsylvania State University.
Career
High school
Bravo-Young attended Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona, where he was an undefeated four-time state champion with a 182–0 record. Also a US U17 World Team member in freestyle, Bravo-Young committed to the Pennsylvania State University.
Penn State University
2018–2019
Before the folkstyle season started, Bravo-Young placed second at the US U23 National championships in freestyle.
As a true freshman at 133 pounds, he earned a Keystone Classic title and placed third at the Southern Scuffle. 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.
Bravo-Young then placed second at the U20 US Open and grabbed a gold medal from the U20 Pan American Championships in freestyle.
2019–2020
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. 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.
2020–2021
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.
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. 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. He closed out the season with a 14–0 record, and was later named the Penn State Male Athlete of the Year.
2021–2022
After another undefeated regular season, Bravo-Young claimed his second Big Ten title with another win over Austin DeSanto. 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.
2022–2023
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. 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.
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.
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.
Mexico
2023
In July, Bravo-Young announced he would be transferring and representing Mexico in freestyle, his grandparents' native country. By the end of the month, Bravo-Young claimed the Mexican National Qualifier title, wearing the Mexican singlet for the first time.
In December, Bravo-Young claimed the Mexico Grand Prix title down at 57 kilograms, defeating all three opponents by technical fall.
2024
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. He is now set to compete at the Pan American Championships and the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament in February.
Wrestling style
Bravo-Young is known for his fancy footwork, speed and ability to explode from a relaxed and elusive stance into a takedown. Defensively, he is known for employing explosive acrobatic flips in order to get out of dangerous situations. Bravo-Young trains with former UFC champion Dominick Cruz from time to time, who displayed one of the most versatile footwork games in mixed martial arts.