Jason Nolf has announced his retirement from professional wrestling. In a recent Instagram video, Nolf stated that he wanted to bid adieu to the game that he has been a part of for almost 22 years. Nolf said, “So this is the official announcement. I thought that this would be a great place to do it. I think it’s very fitting being on the Athletes Ocean podcast to announce that I am retiring from sports wrestling.”

Well, this was a surprising announcement from the professional wrestler. Nolf, who specializes in freestyle wrestling, has won the US championship three times. However, at just 28 years of age, Nolf’s decision to retire has baffled a significant portion of his fans.

Shifting to Penn State, Jason Nolf notched up a hat-trick of National Championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The decorated wrestler signed off from Penn State with an impeccable 31-0 record, propelling his team to clinch their fourth consecutive national championship. While he made his transition to professional wrestling, Nolf did not show any signs of getting fazed by the pressure of competing at the highest level. 

Competing in the 74 kg division, Nolf won consecutive National gold medals in 2022 and 2023 to further establish himself as a dominant force in US wrestling. Clinching golds in the Pan American Championships and the Zagreb Grand Prix, Jason Nolf went on to become one of the finest modern-day wrestlers in the USA. Unfortunately, Nolf’s illustrious career would ultimately end on a somber note, as going one-on-one against Kyle Dake at the Olympic trials, Nolf failed to secure a victory, making his Olympic dream shatter into pieces. However, with one door closing, a separate door seems to be opening for Jason Nolf. While he has retired from wrestling, Jason Nolf has ventured into the realm of MMA. 

Jason Nolf’s shock defeat in the Craig Jones Invitational causes heavy backlash

Jason Nolf made his MMA debut in June 2024. Competing against Andrew Simmons in the Paradigm Open, Nolf made a shocking display of his MMA prowess. Soon, he became the talking point of the Craig Jones Invitational grappling tournament and was the favorite to win the $1 million prize money. Looking at Nolf’s folk-style grappling, world champion BJJ practitioner Izaak Michell termed the US wrestler “a bit of a nightmare to deal with.”

Following his participation announcement in the Craig Jones Invitational, Nolf received mixed reactions from MMA enthusiasts and personalities. Renowned BJJ black belt Mathew Veiga urged the Jiu-jitsu practitioners not to let a wrestler reign supreme in the tournament. Despite Nolf’s unfortunate and controversial loss against the Penn State fighter, Tye Ruotolo, several words of praise were showered upon him. The likes of former college wrestler John Broughton supported Nolf and wrote, “Jiu-jitsu world you have @JASONNOLF to worry about now… Good luck.” Established wrestler Levi Jones-Leary too expressed significant appreciation towards the Penn State icon after the CJI.