Roman Bravo-Young
Mexican-American wrestler (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roman Guillermo Bravo-Young (born January 28, 1999) is a Mexican–American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms.[2] In freestyle, he represented Mexico at the 2024 Summer Olympics, was the Pan American champion in 2025 and the Central American and Caribbean Games champion in 2026.[3]
Mexico (2023–present)
United States (2016–2023)| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Roman Guillermo Bravo-Young | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | RBY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 28, 1999[1] Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Mexico (2023–present) United States (2016–2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight class | 57 kg (126 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Events | Freestyle and Folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Penn State | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Cowboy Wrestling Club RTC, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (formerly) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | David Taylor Cael Sanderson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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In folkstyle, Bravo-Young was the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division I National champion at 133 pounds and a four-time All-American for the Pennsylvania State University.[4][5][6]
Career
High school
Bravo-Young attended Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona,[7][8] where he was an undefeated four-time state champion with a 182–0 record.[9] Also a US U17 World Team member in freestyle, Bravo-Young committed to the Pennsylvania State University.[10]
Pennsylvania State University
2018–2019
Before the folkstyle season started, Bravo-Young placed second at the US U23 National championships in freestyle.[11]
As a true freshman at 133 pounds, he earned a Keystone Classic title and placed third at the Southern Scuffle.[12][13] After placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships, Bravo-Young became an All-American with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA National Championships, closing out the year with a 25–7 record.[14][15]
Bravo-Young then placed second at the U20 US Open and grabbed a gold medal from the U20 Pan American Championships in freestyle.[16][17]
2019–2020
As a sophomore, Bravo-Young won the Black Knight Invitational and Wilkes Open, and only lost one match during regular season to top-ranked Seth Gross.[18][19] After improving to a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, the NCAA National Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting his season short with a 20–2 record.[20][21]
2020–2021
During the pandemic, Bravo-Young competed in freestyle, taking out NCAA finalist Jack Mueller at FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo, Shelton Mack at the NLWC II, and eventual UFC champion Aljamain Sterling at the NLWC IV.[22][23][24]
Going back to folkstyle, Bravo-Young had an undefeated regular season, and claimed his first Big Ten title with a win over rival Austin DeSanto from Iowa.[25] At the NCAA Championships, Bravo-Young became a national champion with a hard-fought win in sudden-victory over NCAA finalist Daton Fix from Oklahoma State, after an undefeated tournament.[26] He closed out the season with a 14–0 record and was named the Penn State Male Athlete of the Year.[27]
2021–2022
After another undefeated regular season, Bravo-Young claimed his second Big Ten title with another win over Austin DeSanto.[28] At the NCAA Championships, Bravo-Young became a two-time national champion with another win over Daton Fix, capping yet another perfect season with a 22–0 record.[29]
2022–2023
In his extra season, granted to athletes due to the 2020 season being cut short, Bravo-Young once again went undefeated during regular season and claimed his third Big Ten title.[30] At the NCAA Championships, he advanced to the finals, but was defeated by Vito Arujau from Cornell to claim runner-up honors, ending his season with a 20–1 record.[31] Bravo-Young graduated as a two-time NCAA national champion, four-time All-American, and three-time Big Ten champion, with an overall record of 100–10.[32]
In June, Bravo-Young competed in submission grappling against UFC veteran Alex Perez at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4, with the match ending in a draw.[33][34]
Mexico
2023
In July, Bravo-Young announced he would transfer and represent Mexico in freestyle, his grandparents' native country.[35] By the end of the month, Bravo-Young claimed the Mexican National Qualifier title, wearing the Mexican singlet for the first time.[36]
In December, Bravo-Young claimed the Mexico Grand Prix title down at 57 kilograms, defeating all three opponents by technical fall.[37]
2024
To start off January, Bravo-Young claimed a gold medal from the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane, scoring wins over African champion Diamantino Iuna Fafé and US National Team member Daniel Deshazer.[38]
In March, Bravo-Young competed at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament, in an attempt to qualify Mexico for the Summer Olympics.[39] After victories over Enrique Herrera and Pedro Mejías to make the semifinals, Bravo-Young was able to defeat Óscar Tigreros to become a 2024 Summer Olympian.[40]
In June, Bravo-Young competed at the Poland Open, where he grabbed wins over African champions Gamal Mohamed and Diamantino Iuna Fafé on his way to a championship.[41]
In August, Bravo-Young made his Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where after dropping his opening match to four-time European champion and two-time U23 World champion Arsen Harutyunyan from Armenia, he was eliminated from the tournament.[42]
In November, Bravo-Young competed at the Korea Open, defeating his two Japanese opponents to claim the championship.[43]
2025
To start off 2025, Bravo-Young competed at the prestigious Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin in January, where he went 1–1.[44] Next, he claimed a bronze medal at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open, earning three victories over international competition and a loss to three-time NCAA champion and Olympic finalist Spencer Lee in a highly anticipated contest.[45][46][47]
In May, after three victories over foreign opposition, Bravo-Young claimed the gold medal at the Pan American Championships.[48] He gave Mexico its first gold medal performance in 32 years at the tournament.[49]
Bravo-Young competed at the Ulaanbaatar Open in June, in Mongolia.[50] After a win over Turkey, he pinned India's Olympic bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat in the semifinals before suffering a loss to Mongolia.[51]
Bravo-Young finished out the season in September at the World Championships, where he beat Germany and Iran before falling to eventual champion from North Korea Han Chong-song in the quarterfinals.[52] After recovering with a win over Puerto Rico's Darian Cruz in repechage, he fell in the bronze-medal bout to Arsen Harutyunyan from Armenia, in a rematch from the 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2016 U17 World Championships.[53]
2026
Bravo-Young stepped on the mat once again at the Zagreb Open in February, defeating notable representatives of India, the United States and Iran to reach the finals, where he suffered an ankle injury early in the match after getting scored on by Spencer Lee's offense, which forced him to withdraw with a silver medal.[54]
After several months off the mat, Bravo-Young gave Mexico a gold medal performance at the Central American and Caribbean Games, taking out the representatives from Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico on his way to the top of the podium.[55]
Wrestling style
Bravo-Young is known for his footwork, speed, and agility.[56][57][58] Defensively, he is known for employing acrobatic flips to get out of dangerous situations.[59][60][61] Bravo-Young sometimes trains with former UFC champion Dominick Cruz, who has some of the most versatile footwork in mixed martial arts.[62][63]
Personal life
Bravo-Young was engaged to soccer player Ellie Bravo-Young (née Wheeler) at CPKC Stadium on March 15, 2025. He proposed to her on the field after her game with the Kansas City Current.[64] The couple married in Tucson, Arizona, on December 27, 2025.[65]
Freestyle record
NCAA record
Stats
Submission grappling record
| 1 Match, 0 Wins, 0 Losses, 1 Draw | ||||||||
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Event | Division | Type | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | 0–0–1 |  Alex Perez | Draw (time limit) | UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 | 145 lbs | Nogi | June 29, 2023 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
