Ridge Lovett made sure the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center left RAF 14 with its first Real American Freestyle champion.
Lovett rolled past Jordan Oliver 13-2 to claim the vacant lightweight title at 155 pounds, and the 26-year-old didn’t just win - he took control early and never really let go. Oliver, a former two-time NCAA Champion and 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Champion, had the résumé and the reputation, but not much answer for Lovett in this one.
The former Nebraska NCAA Champion built the match from the opening period. He grabbed a 2-0 lead with a shot-clock point and a step-out point, then kept stretching the gap in the second with two more push-outs. Oliver finally cracked through with a double-leg takedown to make it 4-2, but Lovett answered right back with a takedown of his own late in the period to carry a 6-2 lead into the final two minutes.
That’s when the match really turned into a showcase for Lovett’s scrambling and pressure. Oliver picked at Lovett’s ankle, but Lovett shifted into the waterfall position and stayed draped over the top.
After nearly getting exposed, he sat the corner, locked through the crotch and flipped Oliver for two points of exposure. The sequence went to challenge, and Oliver lost the review, pushing Lovett ahead 9-2.
Lovett wasn’t finished. In the closing seconds, he went hunting again, shot at Oliver’s legs, finished the takedown with nine seconds left and then turned him with a gut wrench for two more points with two seconds remaining to lock up the 13-2 technical superiority.
That late flurry made the point loud and clear for the rest of the RAF field.
Afterward, Lovett called out the UFC fighters for his first title defense, specifically naming Tommy “Gun” McMillen. Both come from the Pacific Northwest - McMillen was a three-time state champion out of Montana, while Lovett was a four-time undefeated state champ in Idaho.
There are other possibilities the matchup could go before that kind of bout materializes, too. Zain Retherford would be a natural option after beating Lovett twice this summer at Final X to make the U.S.
World Team at 70 kg. Enazar Akhmataliev, the top-ranked contender out of Kyrgyzstan, is another name in the mix after beating Retherford 3-3 in July at a RAF event.
The night’s next match put another Husker legend on the mat. Jordan Burroughs, now 38, took on 23-year-old Mikey Caliendo, a two-time NCAA finalist for Iowa.
Burroughs had trouble getting his offense going through the first two periods and gave up a takedown early. By the time the third period started, he was down 5-0, but he still found a way back into it with one of his trademark double-legs and a shot-clock point to cut the margin to 5-3.
He had a shot to steal it late, but instead Caliendo hit an ankle pick and exposed Burroughs to create more separation. Burroughs went to the waterfall position, Caliendo kept the exposure, and Burroughs couldn’t erase the damage. He did keep fighting and added a final cartwheel exposure, but Caliendo held on for the 7-5 win.
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