After Long Hiatus, Penn State's Masanosuke Ono Dominates in Wrestling Return

The most fascinating wrestler on Penn State's roster returned to action in early July, crusing to a freestyle victory in Japan before returning to the U.S. to make his (professional) freestyle debut.

Masanosuke Ono, the Penn State wrestler who fans have waited patiently to see, resurfaced in his home country recently, dominating the 61 kg freestyle weight class at the 2026 Corporate All-Japan Championships. Ono won the weight class by scoring technical superiority over four opponents, a cruise-control victory in his mat return.

Ono had not wrestled competitively for more than a year since joining the Nittany Lions' roster in 2025. While learning the nuances of folkstyle wrestling, and dealing with some health issues, Ono took a redshirt for Cael Sanderson's team.

Meanwhile, his 133-pound counterpart Marcus Blaze placed fourth at the NCAA Championships and won the 61 kg title at Final X to make his first Senior World team. Ono and Blaze train at the same weight class at Penn State, though that might change next season. More on that in a bit.

Making his competition comeback, Wrestling’s Masanosuke Ono brings home the Gold 🏆💪 pic.twitter.com/ZXPjKpdRb7
— State Media (@StateMediaPSU) July 12, 2026

Ono last wrestled in a competitive environment in 2025, when he defeated Spencer Lee at an exhibition match in Iiowa. He committed to Penn State soon after but did not compete last season.

At a tournament in Japan last winter, Ono discussed his work in folkstyle, saying he is more interested in that discipline than in freestyle. As world champion with an eye toward the 2028 Olympics, however, Ono needs to maintain his freestyle edge. He also needs competitive reps, thus the appearance in Japan and future match in Ohio.

Ono will wrestle Ohio State's Ben Davino in a Real American Freestyle event scheduled for Aug. 22 in Cleveland. At RAF12, Ono will take on Davino, the defending Big Ten champion and NCAA runnerup at 133 pounds, in a bantanweight match that could foreshadow next season.

With Blaze and Ono currently mapped at the same weight class, Sanderson has a dilemma of which most coaches are envious. To get both in the lineup, either Blaze or Ono will have to move up to 141 pounds next season. Braeden Davis wrestled that weight class for the second half of 2026 after first seeking to redshirt.

It's conceivable that Davis could take that year off and compete in 2028 under the NCAA's new 5-in-5 rule. Should Penn State take that route, Blaze or Ono would be cleared to move up to 141 pounds.

In the meantime, Ono continues his process of learning the nuances of folkstyle wrestling.

"I want to do folkstyle more because I like folkstyle more than freestyle right now," Ono said inrecent interview in Japan. "I was world champ maybe two years ago, but I know freestyle like 95 percent but folkstyle, that I don't know. So I mean, I just I'm excited [to] compete [in] folkstyle more than freestyle right now."

Penn State wrestler Masanosuke Ono lifts the championship trophy at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Sanderson said during the 2025-26 season that Ono had become a true member of the Penn State wrestling team. That was clear the NCAA Wrestling Championships, where Ono beamed as he raised the championship trophy above his head.

"He's such a positive kid and obviously an unbelievable wrestler," Sanderson said. "We just love having his energy and perspective, and it's a real blessing to have him here as part of the program."

Here's a look at Ono in action at the Corporate All-Japan Championships.

61KG 🥇 | Successful return for 24' u20/Sr 🌍 🥇 Masanosuke Ono 🇯🇵 who won over Kenya Yumiya 🇯🇵, 10-0 by technical superiority!

Despite the long hiatus, he looks just as good. Racking up multiple techs to secure gold at the Corporate All Japan Championships. pic.twitter.com/hKMCJj1EZn
— InfaWrest (@InfaWrest) July 11, 2026

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