Japanese Wrestling Star Who Beat Iowa's Spencer Lee Returns to U.S. Mat in Cleveland

Masanosuke Ono, the Japanese Senior World champion who made headlines in Iowa by defeating Hawkeye legend Spencer Lee, returns to U.S. competition Saturday night in Cleveland. The Penn State wrestler will face Ohio State's Ben Davino at Real American Freestyle's RAF12 event, marking his first American freestyle match in over a year.

For Iowa wrestling fans, Ono is a familiar name. In February 2025, the then-20-year-old stunned the wrestling world by edging Lee 3-2 in the main event of the FloWrestling Night in America in Coralville, Iowa. That freestyle victory came less than a month before Ono committed to Penn State, a decision that reshaped the college wrestling landscape.

What time does Masanosuke Ono wrestle at RAF12?

RAF12 kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Saturday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, the same venue where Penn State captured its fifth straight NCAA team title. The event will stream live on Fox Nation.

Ono will wrestle Davino in a bantamweight bout. Davino enters as the Big Ten champion and NCAA runner-up at 133 pounds last season. The match carries extra significance for Penn State, as Davino defeated Nittany Lion Marcus Blaze in both the Big Ten final and NCAA semifinals last year. Blaze later avenged those losses with a 4-1 win over Davino at the U.S. Open.

Ono's road back after injury and redshirt season

The 22-year-old Ono did not compete for Penn State last season while recovering from an injury and learning folkstyle wrestling. He was registered for the Bill Farrell Memorial Invitational in November but withdrew.

Ono has since dominated internationally, winning the 61 kg freestyle class at the 2026 Corporate All-Japan Championships with four technical-superiority victories. He spent the past year training with teammate Marcus Blaze, who placed third at NCAAs and qualified for the 2026 Senior World Championships.

Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said he cannot pinpoint when Ono will debut in a Nittany Lions singlet.

“Definitely at some point. I don't know when it's going to be. I don't want to lead anyone on. It could be this year, could be next year. But he's definitely going to wrestle at Penn State, hopefully for a couple years,” Sanderson told FloWrestling.

Ono, who has yet to wrestle a competitive folkstyle match, said he wants to compete in the discipline “because I like folkstyle more than freestyle right now.” FloWrestling recently projected a potential 2027 NCAA final between Ono and Oklahoma State's Jax Forrest.

Penn State legends also on the RAF12 card

Two Penn State icons will also compete Saturday. Three-time NCAA champion and UFC star Bo Nickal faces Max McEnelly, the defending 184-pound NCAA champ from Minnesota. Jason Nolf, also a three-time NCAA champ, takes on Evan Wick, a four-time All-American at Minnesota.

Penn State signee Jayden James chases U20 world title

Also Saturday, Penn State wrestling signee Jayden James begins his run at the 74 kg bracket at the U20 World Championships in Slovakia. James seeks his second age-group world title before joining a loaded Nittany Lions roster, where he will compete for the 157- or 174-pound starting spots.

James, a 2025 U17 world champion, had a breakout freestyle season. He reached the final of the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in May, defeating three higher-seeded wrestlers, including two-time NCAA finalist Mikey Caliendo of Iowa and future Penn State teammate Joe Sealey. James fell to two-time NCAA champ David Carr in the final, but the performance announced his arrival on the senior stage.

James is the No. 3 recruit nationally in the 2026 class, according to FloWrestling, and went 79-0 with two state titles in his final two seasons at Delbarton (N.J.) High. He initially committed to Virginia Tech before flipping to Penn State last year.

Follow James' road to the U20 world title at USA Wrestling.