Former NCAA champion Stephen Buchanan recently opened up about a critical rib injury inflicted during his bout at the Real American Freestyle event 06 at the Mullett Arena on February 8. Buchanan spoke about how that specific setback contributed enormously to slowing his training, but he has vowed a great comeback.
During the RAF06 event, Buchanan squared off against Givi Matcharashvili, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist from Georgia. During the bout, Matcharashvili took center stage with his freestyle prowess and got the upper hand early. With a 3-3 tie decision, he took home the victory.
During a recent interview, Buchanan highlighted that a rib injury since the RAF06 bout has kept him slow on his training routine and spoke about healing and getting ready for the US Open.
“I ended up tearing up the cartilage in my rib after the chest lock, and I’ve been healing for the past three and a half weeks. I was just able to get back on the mat and was just starting to be able to hit a knee, training slow, steady, and getting ready for the US Open,” he said (0:30).
Before this loss, Buchanan came in strong with a 10–0 technical fall at RAF 05 by decimating the mat against Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero.
Stephen Buchanan Talks about the Mental Toll of Back-to-Back Losses
Stephen Buchanan had beaten the top Olympians during his high-prime years of college wrestling; however, before winning the 2025 NCAA title, Buchachan went through a string of losses that almost put a permanent dent in his wrestling career.
During an interview, Buchachan spoke optimistically about how those losses actually make you a better performer and that his coach kept his fire burning through all sorts of adversities.
“After losing the semifinals and having to wrestle two more matches just to get to the third, it’s very easy to get into a negative mindset, and you question, if it’s even worth it, but I had a coach, Mark Branch, and he’s like I “I know your going through a lot of negativity, but you’re older self is gonna thank you for fighting through, and it’s gonna take effort” and that shows you have it,” he said (15:38).
Buchanan, during the same interview, confirmed that he is almost ready to show up for the upcoming 2026 US Open Wrestling Championships, which will take place from April 21 to 26.
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