Jason Michael Nolf, the three-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler from Penn State, made a successful debut in submission grappling at the Paradigm Open 3 on June 9th, 2024. The 28-year-old took on talented B-Team Jiu-Jitsu competitor Andrew Simmons in an exciting match.
The bout began with nearly a minute of intense handfighting and battling for an advantage on the feet. Nolf then hit a slick duck-under takedown, but Simmons showed his experience by attacking Nolf’s legs to try to prevent the takedown. Nolf had to fight off Simmons’ single-leg X guard before finally clearing the position and passing to side control to earn 2 points for the takedown.
Simmons utilized good guard retention to recover half-guard initially. However, Nolf did well to flatten him out and work for better position. He secured an underhook and head control before deftly passing and moving to mount for 3 more points, taking a 5-0 lead. Nolf briefly stepped to side control looking to finish a choke, but Simmons defended well.
Returning to mount, Nolf adjusted his grips and applied immense pressure from his mount position. The squeeze was tight, and it appeared Simmons was close to tapping before he gutted it out to survive the round. Nolf walked away with an impressive 5-0 victory in his submission grappling premiere.
The outstanding performance has led to speculation that the wrestling star could earn an invitation to Craig Jones’ submission grappling super fight with a $1 million prize. Fans will be eager to see if Nolf decides to further pursue a career in BJJ competition after this stellar start.
View this post on Instagram
