Bo Nickal draws a 2026 NCAA champion and Sean Brady squares off with Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs when Real American Freestyle lands in Cleveland on August 22, and both matchups are a reminder of where a lot of MMA's best grappling actually comes from.
Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-08-01
Figures drawn from Boxing News' and MMA Sucka's late-July 2026 reporting on the RAF 12 card.
Nickal is coming off a first-round finish of Kyle Daukaus at June's UFC Freedom 250 card, and rather than take real time off, he is heading back to Real American Freestyle for a rematch with the sport he came from. His opponent is Max McEnelly, a University of Minnesota wrestler who claimed the 184-pound national crown this year, edging out top seed Rocco Welsh by a narrow 4-3 scoreline in the finals.
McEnelly's resume includes four Minnesota state titles, a U20 World Championship gold medal, and a conference freshman-of-the-year nod from his first collegiate season, and this will be his RAF debut. For Nickal, a three-time NCAA Division I champion himself, it is a chance to test his wrestling against someone whose credentials are current rather than years removed from competition.
Brady is coming off a decision win over Joaquin Buckley in May and currently has no UFC fight booked, which opened the door for RAF to offer him a co-headlining spot against Jordan Burroughs, one of the most decorated wrestlers America has ever produced and the 2012 Olympic gold medalist at 74 kilograms.
Brady did not need much convincing. Asked about taking the match, he said flatly he wanted to wrestle Burroughs, and added that the pay made the decision easier too. He has also said he would welcome a future match against Colby Covington, who currently holds RAF's cruiserweight crossover title and is now expected to defend it against Belal Muhammad at RAF 13 in Miami in September.
Nickal and Brady are the marquee names, but they are not alone. Tyron Woodley also fights Joaquin Buckley on the same card before turning around to face Khamzat Chimaev in Moscow less than two weeks later, giving RAF 12 three separate storylines built around UFC-caliber fighters testing themselves in a pure wrestling format.
That density of crossover talent on one card is a signal of where combat sports interest is heading right now. Wrestling, grappling, and striking are being treated less like separate silos and more like overlapping skill sets that fans want to see tested directly against each other, outside the constraints of a single rule set.
Nickal and Brady both got here because a wrestling base translated into a broader combat sports career, and that same principle shows up constantly at the amateur level. Jiu-jitsu students who cross-train wrestling fundamentals, takedowns, sprawls, chain wrestling, tend to develop a more complete top and bottom game than those who stick purely to guard work.
If a card like this makes you want to see how that translates on the mat yourself, the fastest way in is a local BJJ or no-gi class. Programs built around systems like 10th Planet lean heavily on scramble-based positions that reward exactly the kind of wrestling instincts on display in Cleveland this month, and most gyms will let you roll in a trial class before committing to anything.
A rundown of who's fighting whom and why it matters if you care about grappling.
BJJ Gyms is an independent directory, not a gym. We feature 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu as our recommended no-gi system. Always take a free trial and vet any academy yourself before committing.
August 22, 2026, in Cleveland.
Max McEnelly, the 2026 NCAA champion at 184 pounds, in McEnelly's RAF debut.
Jordan Burroughs, the 2012 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist, in a catchweight co-main event.
Yes. Woodley fights Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12 first, then faces Khamzat Chimaev in Moscow less than two weeks later.