Real American Freestyle (RAF) brought its international wrestling promotion to Moscow, Russia, featuring a high-profile fight card headlined by former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a catchweight contest according to MMA Fighting. The event marked the fourteenth overall event for the promotion and its second held outside of the United States.
Real American Freestyle Hosts Major Wrestling Event in Moscow Featuring Top UFC Talent
The fight card showcased a blend of top-tier freestyle wrestlers, Olympic champions, and prominent mixed martial artists. In the co-main event, Russian wrestling legend Abdulrashid Sadulaev faced Zac Braunagel of the United States according to Yahoo Sports. The full match lineup featured multiple championship bouts and high-stakes contests across various weight classes.
Full Match Results and Championship Bouts
The Moscow event featured 13 total bouts, including three championship matches. In the RAF Light Heavyweight Championship match, Kyle Snyder defeated Akhmed Tazhudinov by a points decision of 11-5 according to Yahoo Sports. Kyle Dake captured a points victory over Kadik with a 7-6 score to win the RAF Cruiserweight Championship. In the women’s division, Kennedy Blades secured a 10-0 technical fall victory over Vusala Parfianovich in the RAF Women’s Middleweight Championship match.
Additional main card results included:
- Zahid Valencia defeated Ibragim Kadiev, 9-5
- Shara Magomedov defeated Neiman Gracie via points, 11-3
- Jordan Burroughs defeated Magomed Kurbanaliev via technical fall, 10-0
- Bo Nickal defeated Shirvani Muradov via points, 11-8
- Jason Nolf defeated Ismail Khaniev via criteria on last point scored after a 5-5 draw
- Pouya Rahmani defeated Anatoly Malykhin via points, 10-3
- Yusuf Raisov defeated Marif Piraev via technical fall, 11-2
- Vito Arujau defeated Soslan Ramonov via technical fall, 13-3
Commercial Growth and Fighter Compensation in RAF
The rapid expansion of Real American Freestyle has drawn significant attention for the substantial compensation it offers to established MMA stars, providing an alternative revenue stream without the physical demands of a full MMA training camp according to TheSportster. While specific financial figures for the Chimaev versus Woodley main event were not made public, other prominent fighters have spoken about their earnings with the organization.
Fighter Arman Tsarukyan stated that his earnings from RAF approached what he makes competing in the UFC, calling the opportunity “the best.” Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili noted that his pay for participating in RAF matched the amount he earned from a UFC bout against Petr Yan, an amount implied to be in the six-figure range. Additionally, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping revealed on a podcast that the promotion offered him $500,000 to wrestle Tito Ortiz, though neck issues ultimately prevented him from accepting the match.
Chad Bronstein, CEO of Real American Freestyle, stated in an interview with Front Office Sports that the organization generated $10 million in sponsorship revenue during its first year of operation following its inception in 2025.
