Khamzat Chimaev Debuts Against Dillon Danis at RAF 10 in St. Louis

Khamzat Chimaev and Tony Ferguson Lead RAF 10 Card

The RAF 10 event drew significant attention for its headlining talent, marking the transition of several former Ultimate Fighting Championship stars to the Real American Freestyle circuit. In the main event, Khamzat Chimaev made his anticipated debut in a catchweight contest against Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Dillon Danis, as reported by MMA Fighting. For Chimaev, the transition to the RAF platform represents a pivot in his combat sports career, moving from the cage to a format focused heavily on freestyle grappling mechanics. Danis, known for his long-standing background in competitive jiu-jitsu, provided a stylistic contrast that served as a primary draw for the St. Louis audience.

The co-main event featured a lightweight clash between former UFC interim champion Tony Ferguson and the second-ranked Arman Tsarukyan. According to MMA Mania, the event served as a major showcase for the organization, which has increasingly attracted veteran fighters from the UFC and Bellator rosters. The presence of Ferguson, a veteran of high-stakes mixed martial arts, underscores the organization’s strategy of leveraging established household names to bolster viewership numbers in a competitive landscape for combat sports broadcasting.

Full Results from the Chaifetz Arena

The event featured a mix of professional wrestling and freestyle bouts, with several matches decided by points or technical falls. As detailed by boxingnews.com, the undercard established a competitive tone early in the evening. The following results were recorded:

• Sebastian Rivera def. Haji Aliyev (9-5)
• Keegan O’Toole def. Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (10-6)
• Andrew Alirez def. Jaydin Eierman (5-3)
• Shamil Sharipov def. Yonger Bastida (5-3)
• Arsen Harutyunyan def. Caleb Smith (14-4 via tech fall)

Title Bouts and Championship Implications

Beyond the celebrity matchups, RAF 10 hosted significant title encounters that carry weight for the organization’s 2026 rankings. The card included a bantamweight title fight between Austin DeSanto and Reineri Andreu, as well as an interim women’s strawweight championship bout between Lucía Yépez and Kendra Ryan. The inclusion of these title fights indicates a push by the promotion to solidify its internal championship structure. In professional grappling and wrestling circuits, the establishment of interim titles often serves to maintain fan interest while primary champions are unavailable due to scheduling conflicts or recovery from injury, providing a clear path for contenders to secure their standing within the promotion’s hierarchy.

The event, which was broadcast exclusively on FOX Nation starting at 8 p.m. ET, continues a recent trend of wrestling promotions seeking broader audiences through major streaming partnerships. By aligning with a major network, RAF aims to bridge the gap between niche grappling enthusiasts and the broader casual sports fan base. The broadcast structure included pre-fight analysis and post-match breakdowns, a standard practice in professional combat sports designed to provide narrative context to the technical bouts on the mat.

While the main event featured high-profile names, the depth of the card—including the 215-pound matchup between Hayden Zillmer and Rizabek Aitmukhan—suggests the promotion is balancing its marketing strategy between established stars and high-level technical grapplers. For athletes like Zillmer and Aitmukhan, participation in an event of this scale provides exposure that is essential for career advancement in the professional wrestling ecosystem. Such cards typically serve as a testing ground for up-and-coming talent who compete alongside veteran crossover athletes, ensuring that the organization maintains a pipeline of competitive parity while simultaneously capitalizing on the name recognition of former UFC competitors.

St. Louis has long been considered a hub for wrestling in the United States, and the choice of Chaifetz Arena reflects the organization’s efforts to tap into regional fan bases that historically support amateur and professional wrestling. The logistics of the event, requiring strict weight management and point-scoring oversight, mirror the traditional standards expected in high-level freestyle competition. As the promotion looks toward the remainder of the 2026 calendar, the success of RAF 10 will likely influence the matchmaking and venue selection for future events, as the organization seeks to sustain the momentum generated by its current roster of high-profile signings.

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