Penn State's Masanosuke Ono to Make Intriguing Real American Freestyle Debut

Before making his Penn State wrestling debut, Masanosuke Ono will return to the mat in a fascinating matchup on the Real American Freestyle circuit. Organizers announced that Ono, who signed with Penn State in 2025, will be on the card for RAF12 on Aug. 22 in Cleveland. And he'll get a superb matchup.

Ono, 22, will wrestle Ben Davino in the bantamweight class, producing another Penn State-Ohio State rivalry match. Davino defeated Penn State's Marcus Blaze in the NCAA semifinals at 133 pounds last year en route to placing second to Oklahoma State's Jax Forrest. Blaze recently defeated Forrest at Final X to earn the U.S. men's freestyle spot at 61 kg for the upcoming Senior World Championships.

Ono could be the most talked-about NCAA wrestler this season, should he get a spot in Penn State's lineup. A 2024 Senior World champion, Ono did not compete for the Nittany Lions on the road to their fifth straight NCAA wrestling title. Some believe that Ono was the best overall wrestler in the room, though he still had to adjust to the differences between freestyle and folkstyle wrestling.

Since the 2024 World Championships, Ono has been out of the competitive spotlight. The RAF12 match will be his first major event in the U.S. since joining Penn State's roster. He spent the past learning the nuances of NCAA wrestling.

"I want to do folkstyle more because I like folkstyle more than freestyle right now," Ono said in recent interview at an event 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."

Masanosuke Ono reacts after defeating Spencer Lee in a 2025 exhibition match at the “FloWrestling Night in America." | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ono already has one splashy victory in the U.S., defeating Spencer Lee 3-2 in a freestyle match at a FloWrestling exhibition in 2025. That was just a month before Ono committed to Penn State. He has worked primarily in Penn State's wrestling room since.

"I'm feeling pretty much back to normal now, so I’m absolutely fine," the 22-year-old Ono said at the recent Meiji Cup in Japen, where he did not compete. "It’s just that I haven’t competed much since the World Championships ended about two years ago, and there’s a part of me that simply can’t suppress the urge to get back out there. So I’m really looking forward to getting back into competition soon and giving it my all."

Ono joined Penn State's roster with a distinguished freestyle resume. He won Japanese national title and U20 world title in 2024, defeating Blaze 7-2 in the process. At the 2024 Senior World Championships, Ono outscored his opponents 55-2 and beat 2020 Olympic champion Zaur Uguev of Russia and then-defending world champion Vito Arujau en route to the title.

Ono isn't sure when he'll make his Penn State debut or at what weight class. Ono and Blaze both wrestle at 133 pounds, and Blaze is a returning All-American. One potentially could move up to 141 pounds to compete with 2025 All-American Braeden Davis.

"There really are so many movements that are unique to folkstyle. I still feel a bit of a gap there," Ono said. "But once I’ve got the hang of it, I reckon I’ll be able to grow even more myself without losing sight of the good bits. If I just focus on that one thing, it’ll disappear, so I’m thinking I’ll keep 95 percent of my style exactly as it is and just add a few bits here and there."

Real American Freestyle is a professional circuit that calls itself "the first unscripted pro wrestling league for the best athletes in the world. RAF12 will feature former Penn State wrestlers Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf.

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