RAF 08
| RAF 08: Tsarukyan vs. Faber | |
|---|---|
| Promotional poster for RAF 08 | |
| Promotion | Real American Freestyle |
| Date | April 18, 2026 |
| Venue | Liacouras Center |
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Attendance | 4,250[1] |
| Event chronology | |
|
RAF 07: Tsarukyan vs. Poullas 2
RAF 08: Tsarukyan vs. Faber
RAF 09: Steveson vs. Romanov
| |
RAF 08: Tsarukyan vs. Faber was a freestyle wrestling event that took place on April 18, 2026, at the Liacouras Center of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2]
It was the eighth flagship event produced by the Real American Freestyle (RAF) promotion, and aired live on Fox Nation.[2]
Background
[edit ]Tickets for the event went on sale through Ticketmaster on February 27, 2026.[3]
Commentary for the event's live Fox Nation broadcast was provided by Kurt Angle, Ben Askren, Julianna Peña, Chael Sonnen, and Shane Sparks.[4]
Merab Dvalishvili was scheduled to headline this event against Henry Cejudo.[5] However, Cejudo pulled out due to injury and the match was cancelled.[6] As a result, a middleweight bout between Urijah Faber and Arman Tsarukyan was promoted to the main event.[6] Faber was originally announced to be facing Cayden Henschel, but both men were rebooked against different opponents for undisclosed reasons.[7]
Anthony Ashnault debuted at this event against Real Woods.[8] It was the first match for Ashnault since 2024, when he retired to enter coaching.[8]
It was announced during the broadcast that Khamzat Chimaev had signed with RAF.[9]
All competitors favored to win by sportsbooks were victorious in their respective matches.[10]
Results
[edit ]| Main card (Fox Nation) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Middleweight | Armenia Arman Tsarukyan | def. | United States Urijah Faber | Technical fall (13–1) | 3 | 0:35 | |
| Light Heavyweight | United States Kyle Snyder (c) | def. | Kazakhstan Rizabek Aitmukhan | Decision (12–6) | 3 | 2:00 | [a] |
| Cruiserweight | United States Zahid Valencia | def. | United States Aeoden Sinclair | Decision (8–2) | 3 | 2:00 | |
| Heavyweight | Bahrain Shamil Sharipov | def. | United States Anthony Cassioppi | Pinfall | 1 | 1:45 | |
| Women's Bantamweight | United States Helen Maroulis (c) | def. | United States Alexis Janiak | Technical fall (10–0) | 2 | 1:13 | [b] |
| Featherweight | United States Real Woods | def. | United States Anthony Ashnault | Decision (7–2) | 3 | 2:00 | |
| Middleweight | United States Jason Nolf | def. | United States Joey Blaze | Decision (11–2) | 3 | 2:00 | |
| Featherweight | Georgia (country) Vladimer Khinchegashvili | def. | United States Johnni DiJulius | Decision (8–5) | 3 | 2:00 | |
| Lightweight | United States Lance Palmer | def. | United States Cayden Henschel | Decision (3–2) | 3 | 2:00 | |
| Featherweight | United States Jordan Oliver | def. | United States Michael Vanschenkbrill | Decision (5–0) | 3 | 2:00 | |
| Bantamweight | United States Lucas Byrd | def. | Puerto Rico Darian Cruz | Decision (criteria) (2–2) | 3 | 2:00 | |
- ^ For the RAF Light Heavyweight Championship.
- ^ For the RAF Women's Bantamweight Championship.
Source:[11]
Bonus awards
[edit ]The following athletes received bonuses.[12]
- Match of the Night: Kyle Snyder vs. Rizabek Aitmukhan
- Performance of the Night: Jason Nolf
References
[edit ]- ^ "WrestleTix: RAF Real American Freestyle • Apr 18 The Liacouras Center at Philadelphia, PA". Wrestlenomics. April 18, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ^ a b Heck, Mike (February 24, 2026). "Former UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili set to compete at RAF 8". MMA Fighting . Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Holland, Jesse (February 24, 2026). "Merab time! Former UFC champ signs with RAF, debuts April 18 in Philly". MMA Mania . Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Behunin, Alexander (April 13, 2026). "RAF 08 card, start time, date and location". MMA Mania . Retrieved April 16, 2026.
- ^ Bohn, Mike (March 1, 2026). "Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo headlines RAF08 in Philadelphia". Yahoo Sports . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
- ^ a b Bohn, Mike (April 18, 2026). "Henry Cejudo injured, out of RAF 08 main event vs. Merab Dvalishvili". MMA Junkie . Retrieved April 18, 2026.
- ^ Holland, Jesse (April 1, 2026). "UFC bad boy Arman Tsarukyan makes quick turnaround, wrestles Urijah Faber at RAF08 in Philadelphia". MMA Mania . Retrieved April 3, 2026.
- ^ a b Evans, Bill (April 17, 2026). "Rutgers NCAA wrestling champion returning to mat for 1 more match". NJ.com . Retrieved April 19, 2026.
- ^ Martin, Damon (April 18, 2026). "Top UFC superstar is latest to sign with RAF". MMA Fighting . Retrieved April 18, 2026.
- ^ "RAF 8: Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo". Fight Odds. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
- ^ Fowlkes, Ben (April 19, 2026). "RAF 8 results: Arman Tsarukyan runs Urijah Faber off the mat in lopsided victory, calls out Colby Covington". Yahoo Sports . Retrieved April 19, 2026.
- ^ "RAF 08 Recap: Tsarukyan Shines, Snyder's Comeback, and a Night That Raised the Bar". Real American Freestyle . April 19, 2026. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
External links
[edit ]- Official website Edit this at Wikidata
- "RAF 08" at Apple TV Edit this at Wikidata
- "RAF 08" at Fox Nation
- "RAF 08" at Tapology
- "RAF 08" on YouTube
