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Tag: RAF 9

  • Gable Steveson Shuts Out Alexandr Romanov in RAF Debut

    Gable Steveson Shuts Out Alexandr Romanov in RAF Debut

    About a month-and-a-half before he makes his UFC debut, Gable Steveson found success in his RAF debut, scoring a shutout, technical fall victory over UFC and PFL veteran Alexandr Romanov.

    Steveson’s athleticism proved to be a problem for Romanov, with Steveson using a takedown and turn to quickly rack up a 4-0 lead in the first period. The action was briefly halted after Romanov appeared to suffer an arm injury. Romanov continued the bout, with Steveson up 5-0 at the end of the first.

    Steveson continued his pace into the second, scoring a point on a step-out before adding two more with a takedown. Steveson soon rolled and executed a gutwrench to take a 10-0 win.

    Steveson is a former Olympic and Pan-American Games gold medalist and is the former NCAA All-American and national champion wrestler from the University of Minnesota. Steveson, a protege of Jon Jones, will make his UFC debut at UFC 329 in July, taking on Elisha Ellison.

    Romanov is now 0-2 in RAF. He debuted at RAF 02, losing to Mason Parris.

  • Colby Covington Bests Chris Weidman, Will Face Arman Tsarukyan

    Colby Covington Bests Chris Weidman, Will Face Arman Tsarukyan

    Colby Covington may have recently retired from the UFC, but his run in the RAF continues successfully, defeating Chris Weidman in the RAF 09 co-main event.

    Following the matchup, Covington and Tsarukyan agreed to an RAF battle in the wrestling promotion’s July event in Milwaukee.

    Weidman scored first blood when using Covington’s momentum to score a throw, taking two points. A wild scramble sequence caused a review at the end of the first period, where the officials determined the score to be 4-2 in Weidman’s favor.

    Covington, however, battled right back. His cardio outlasted Weidman’s, with Covington scoring a takedown late in the second to tie the matchup. Weidman then gave up a point when put on the shot clock in the third, and he was unable to score a takedown, giving Covington the win.

    Following the matchup, Covington was given the opportunity to respond to Tsarukyan, who called Covington out following his win earlier in the night. The two agreed to their July bout.

    Covington made his RAF debut at RAF 05, defeating Lance Palmer. He then battled Dillon Danis at RAF 07, dominating in that matchup.

  • Merab Dvalishvili Overwhelms Frankie Edgar For Tech Fall

    Merab Dvalishvili Overwhelms Frankie Edgar For Tech Fall

    While it was a month later than initially planned, Merab Dvalishvili still had a successful debut in RAF, defeating Frankie Edgar at RAF 09.

    Edgar had some success early in the bout, controlling the mat throughout the first period and earning a point on a Dvalishvili shot clock violation. The former UFC bantamweight champion, however, picked things up in the second round, scoring a point when Edgar stepped out of bounds, and adding another two on a takedown.

    Dvalishvili got things out of hand in the third, scoring multiple points through takedowns and exposure points, racking up a 12-1 score for a technical fall victory.

    Dvalishvili was scheduled to make his RAF debut at RAF 08 against Henry Cejudo but injury took Cejudo out of the bout hours before the event was to begin. Dvalishvili used his RAF 09 post-fight interview time to call out Cejudo.

    This marked Edgar’s RAF debut.

  • Arman Tsarukyan Gets Thrown & Pushed But Dominates For Tech Fall

    Arman Tsarukyan Gets Thrown & Pushed But Dominates For Tech Fall

    Arman Tsarukyan continues to be a force to reckon with in RAF, dominating Keelon Jimison for a technical fall victory in the opening bout of RAF 09.

    The bout wasn’t perfect for Tsarukyan, as he let up an early four-point throw to Jimison. Tsarukyan, however, locked in the rest of the way, scoring a takedown and consecutive rolls to quickly rack up points.

    The bout ended in a technical fall after Tsarukyan’s domination on top led to a 16-5 score.

    Tsarukyan called out Colby Covington for his next fight.

    Tsarukyan now improves to 5-0 in RAF. He’s competed in every RAF event in 2026, scoring wins over Lance Palmer, Georgio Poullas (twice), and Urijah Faber prior to tonight’s bout.

    Jimison is now 0-2 in RAF. He made his debut at RAF 02, losing to Cayden Henschel.

  • RAF 09 Results: Steveson vs. Romanov

    RAF 09 Results: Steveson vs. Romanov

    RAF 09 results and highlights are updated live as the action unfolds from the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The main event will feature the RAF debut of Gable Steveson as he takes on Alexandr Romanov. MMANews has you covered with all the results and highlights!

    Gable Steveson vs. Alexandr Romanov – Heavyweight Main Event

    Steveson won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and is a former multiple-time NCAA-Division I All-American and heavyweight champion from the University of Minnesota. Since then, Steveson has had an unsuccessful stint with the WWE and an unsuccessful tryout with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. He will make his UFC debut at UFC 329 in July.

    Romanov competed in the UFC from 2020 to 2024. He has since signed with the PFL, making it to the finals of last year’s Heavyweight World Yournament before losing to Oleg Popov. Romanov fought at PFL Chicago in April, submitting Rodrigo Nascimento. Romanov made his RAF debut at RAF 02, losing to Mason Parris.

    The co-main event will feature Colby Covington taking on Chris Weidman.

    Covington, who recently announced his UFC retirement, is 2-0 so far in RAF, defeating Luke Rockhold and Dillon Danis. Weidman, the soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer, makes his RAF debut tonight. He last competed in the UFC at UFC 310, losing to Eryk Anders.

    How to Watch RAF 09

    • Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026
    • Venue: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas
    • Streaming: FOX Nation (Exclusive)
    • Start Time: 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

    RAF 09 Results & Highlights

    Full Card Results (FOX Nation, 8 PM ET)

    Middleweight: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Keelon Jimison

    Result: Arman Tsarukyan def. Keelon Jimison via technical fall (16-5)

    Women’s Catchweight (125 lbs): Lucia Yepez vs. Cameron Guerin

    Result: Lucia Yepez def. Cameron Guerin via technical fall (10-0)

    Lightweight: Ridge Lovett vs. Bajrang Punia

    Result: Ridge Lovett def. Bajrang Punia via decision (13-8)

    Lightweight: Zain Rutherford vs. Antrell Taylor

    Result: Zain Rutherford def. Antrell Taylor via decision (8-0)

    Middleweight: Christopher Minto vs. Jason Nolf

    Result: Jason Nolf def. Christopher Minto via decision (8-5)

    Cruiserweight: Parker Keckeisen vs. Georgios Kougioumtsidis

    Result: Parker Keckeisen def. Georgious Kougioumtsidis via decision (10-5)

    Featherweight Championship: Ibragim Ilyasov vs. Real Woods

    Result: Real Woods def. Ibragim Ilyasov via fall (2:11)

    Lightweight: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Frankie Edgar

    Result: Merab Dvalishvili def. Frankie Edgar via technical fall (12-1)

    Light Heavyweight Championship: Kyle Snyder vs. Givi Matcharashvili

    Result: Kyle Snyder def. Givi Matcharashvili via technical fall (10-0)

    Catchweight (200 lbs): Colby Covington vs. Chris Weidman

    Result: Colby Covington def. Chris Weidman via decision (5-4)

    Heavyweight: Gable Steveson vs. Alexander Romanov

    Result: Gable Steveson def. Alexander Romanov via technical fall (10-0)