Ridge Lovett vs Bajrang Punia - Olympic Hardware vs NCAA Fan Favorite

With the ability to stand with names such as Kyle Snyder, Wyatt Hendrickson, Kennedy Blades, Kyle Dake and more as RAF champion, Ridge Lovett and Bajrang Punia will toe the line at RAF09 with a lightweight title shot on the line.

Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang Punia has been waiting for his chance to add to his trophy case since taking on Yianni Diakomihalis at RAF01 for the inaugural crowning of the RAF lightweight title. Narrowly falling to Diakomihalis it only makes sense to bring back one of the greatest Indian wrestlers of all time.

In addition to his Olympic bronze medal, Punia has been tearing up international competition for over ten years with multiple medals in seemingly every touted tournament in the sport. Four silver and bronze medals at Worlds, five Grand Prix gold medals, a silver at U23 Worlds and many more, Punia has already had to add many additions to his trophy case with a lot of career ahead of him.

While he does have wins over some of the biggest names in the sport and every trophy under the sun, it almost seems like RAF gold is the only thing left to get his hands on.

Two-time NCAA All-American Ridge Lovett is fresh off of a 14-12 victory over NCAA National Champion Caleb Henson at the US Open and reinventing himself in freestyle competition.

With a stellar career as a Nebraska Cornhusker, Lovett was one of the Big Ten’s most likable wrestlers and gave the top of the sport fits for his entire run in folkstyle.

The path to a title shot for Punia is to control the center of the mat, keep the pace he’s overpowered people with for years and open things up late.

Punia has an innate ability to dictate where the match takes place. In freestyle competition not only does that lead to controlling takedowns, scrambles and more, it also can lead to easy step-out and shot clock points.

This can also play a role in late-match competition. If the match loosens at all, the control of the landscape leads to more scrambles and more points. Always a threat in odd positions and a great command of the positioning, Punia could be a big-point threat and thorn in the side the whole match if Lovett isn’t careful.

For Lovett, it will take defensive discipline, slowing the match down and making the match a grind to avoid it becoming a highlight reel.

It’s no secret at all that Punia thrives in pace, pressure and chain-wrestling. Lovett has shown an ability to put a halt to momentum but slowing matches down. If he can recreate that against Punia, he can put himself in the driver’s seat.

Punia’s style is built on big moves and slick transitions. Lovett needs to tap back into his Big Ten roots and make it “ugly” to grind out the win instead of looking for highlight-reel points that put Punia into his world.

Both men have proven success in the freestyle world, which will walk away with a date with a title shot? Find out at RAF09!

Catch RAF09 Saturday, May 30 ONLY on FOX Nation!