Evan Wick vs Jason Nolf - Long-Awaited Middleweight Rematch

Cleveland already gave us one classic title match between Evan Wick and Jason Nolf. One year later after four consecutive victories, Nolf has climbed back to the top and looks to dethrone the only man to take him out on the RAF mat with Middleweight Gold on the line.

One year ago, Jason Nolf walked into the inaugural Real American Freestyle event as one of the biggest names on the card but when the final whistle blew, it was Evan Wick who had his hand raised and the RAF Middleweight Title around his waist. In a full-circle moment, Both men cross paths yet again, one year later at RAF12.

Wick's victory at RAF01 wasn't just an upset, it was one of the biggest moments in the promotion's iconic first event. While the win grew Wick's stock, it also handed Nolf the kind of loss competitors of his caliber rarely forget.

Since that night, Nolf has responded the way champions often do. He has rattled off four consecutive victories under the RAF banner, steadily working his way back into title contention while reminding fans why he's long been considered one of the most entertaining wrestlers of his generation.

The three-time NCAA Champion and four-time finalist at Penn State, he built a career around an offense that never seemed to stop coming and one of the deepest bags of tricks in all of wrestling. Few wrestlers transition between attacks as fluidly as Nolf, whose ability to score from scrambles, re-attacks and unconventional positions has frustrated opponents for years. Just when it appears an exchange has settled, Nolf finds another angle, another attack and another way to score.

Just as well as anybody else in the world’s oldest sport, Wick knows the threat that Nolf possesses but doesn’t let his name, trophy case or reputation take him out of his own game.

A two-time NCAA All-American and one of the slickest technicians in the sport, Wick has always relied on length, patience and precision rather than overwhelming pace and an almost-impossible amount of creativity. His defense is among his greatest strengths, and he's incredibly difficult to finish on cleanly. Rather than forcing action, Wick does just enough to keep an engagement interesting and threatening while waiting for opponents to overextend before capitalizing on mistakes, making him one of the most dangerous counter wrestlers in the division.

That dynamic was on full display in their first meeting.

Wick never allowed Nolf to fully settle into the free-flowing pace that has defined so much of his success. He stayed disciplined defensively, limited extended scrambles and capitalized when opportunities presented themselves. Against a wrestler as creative as Nolf, those small victories added up over the course of the match. It was a high-scoring match that came down to the wire with Wick winning 10-8 and a rematch has been a long-time coming.

Nolf doesn’t typically need to change a gameplan to take a win back from an opponent but you can almost expect Nolf to make adjustments this time around.

After four straight RAF victories, he's looked increasingly comfortable under the promotion's ruleset, wrestling with the same confidence and offensive freedom that made him a Penn State legend. If he can consistently create second and third scoring opportunities instead of allowing exchanges to die, he'll force Wick into the type of match he prefers.

Wick's blueprint may look familiar because it already worked once.

Controlling ties, staying disciplined through every scramble and refusing to chase unnecessary offense are all ingredients that helped him win at RAF01. If he can frustrate Nolf early, thwart his offense and keep the match from becoming a scramble-heavy affair, he'll put himself in position to once again claim the edge he's already proven he can hold in this matchup.

Rematches are rarely about repeating history. They're about answering the questions the first meeting left behind. Some are forced and some come due to unceremonious circumstances. Evan Wick vs Jason Nolf is a rare perfect rematch with the same stakes and the same two men who left it all on the mat once before and have climbed back to the top to find themselves across from each other once again.

Was RAF01 the beginning of Evan Wick's number over Jason Nolf? Or was it simply the first chapter in a rivalry that has swung back in Nolf's favor after four straight victories?

Twelve months after their first meeting launched one of RAF's most compelling rivalries, they'll meet again with the Middleweight Championship hanging in the balance.

Catch Evan Wick vs Jason Nolf LIVE Saturday, August 22 ONLY on FOX Nation!