Three-time NCAA wrestling champion Jason Nolf set for submission grappling debut
Three-time NCAA national wrestling champion Jason Nolf will make his professional submission grappling debut in June at the Paradigm Open 3.
Penn St. Wrestling legend Jason Nolf has set a date for his highly anticipated professional no-gi grappling debut at the Paradigm Open 3 on June 9, 2024. He will take on B-Team blue belt Andrew Simmons.
One of the best wrestlers of this generation while at Penn St., Nolf won three NCAA Wrestling titles, two Big Ten Conference titles, and amassed a career record of 117-3. He was an offensive dynamo and a bonus point machine.
Nolf also had success on the Senior level in wrestling having just recently defeated all-time American great Jordan Burroughs at the Olympic Team Trials. He fell short of his bid to make the 2024 Paris Olympics, dropping two bouts to Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammate Kyle Dake in the Trials finals.
Over the past few years, Nolf has dabbled in jiu-jitsu training. Nolf even put on the gi to train with his former Penn State teammate and current UFC standout Bo Nickal. He even did some training at his opponent’s home base, B-Team, with Craig Jones.
His opponent, Simmons, comes from a wrestling background, as well. While he wasn’t as successful at the highest levels of the sport compared to Nolf, Simmons was a two-time NAIA All-American and served as an NCAA Division II coach. Simmons, a blue belt, recently competed at the ADCC West Coast Trials where he had a solid showing going 2-1 in the -88kg division.
It’s always exciting seeing top-level wrestlers make the jump over to submission grappling. Nolf is as accomplished as they come, and he is set to test himself against a quality opponent in his first foray into competition. It will be interesting to see if Nolf eventually moves on to a career in MMA.
How to Watch: Paradigm Open 3 takes place on June 8 and will air live on FloGrappling (subscription required).