Real America Freestyle made an exciting announcement regarding their upcoming milestone. The wrestling promotion officially announced that it will host RAF 12 on Aug. 22. It will take place at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and stream exclusively on FOX Nation.
RAF 12 marks the one-year anniversary, a significant milestone for the wrestling promotion. Chad Bronstein, Israel Martinez, and former WWE executive Eric Bischoff founded the promotion.
RAF has quickly built a strong reputation within the wrestling and MMA communities. Its events feature Olympic medalists, World champions, NCAA National champions, and current UFC fighters.
The league also lets wrestlers to showcase their personalities to a wider audience.
Some of the notable competitors who have appeared in RAF include, Colby Covington, Yoel Romero, Michael Chandler, and Henry Cejudo. RAF has provides a viable outlet for amateur wrestlers and even MMA fighters to remain active and compete.
Co-Founder Chad Bronstein Opens Up About One Year Anniversary
RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein shared his thoughts on the league’s one-year milestone.
Bronstein said the promotion has started to realize its vision after a year of development. He emphasized that the team set out to build a true unscripted professional wrestling promotion and achieved that goal.
“This is a milestone moment for RAF,” Bronstein said in a press release. “We started this league to give wrestling a true professional home, and one year later, we’re seeing that vision come to life in a big way.”
Bronstein, a Cleveland native, has witnessed the city’s strong wrestling market firsthand. He pointed to the city’s growing appetite for wrestling and highlighted its role as host of the upcoming NCAA Wrestling Championships. That strong support drove RAF to choose Rocket Arena for its milestone event.
“There is no better place to celebrate [RAF 12] than Cleveland, where it all began, in front of one of the most passionate wrestling communities in the country,” Bronstein said.
Upcoming RAF Events
RAF’s next two events feature notable matchups. RAF07 will take place at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida on Mar. 28.
The main event showcases a rematch between Georgio Poullas and UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan. Their first matchup ended in a brawl after Tsarukyan elbowed Poullas on the ground.
In the co-main event, Dillon Danis makes his promotional debut against former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington. Both competitors carry polarizing reputations that may influence crowd reactions.
Covington holds an advantage due to his amateur wrestling background. Danis, a jiu-jitsu practitioner, will need to adjust accordingly.
The following day, the league launches the first event in its new wrestling clinic series. The clinics give young wrestlers the opportunity to train with RAF athletes.
RAF08 takes place on Apr. 18 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event features a main event between former UFC bantamweight champions Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo.
Dvalishvili and Cejudo faced each other in the UFC, where ‘The Machine’ earned a unanimous decision. Despite that loss, Cejudo may have the edge in freestyle wrestling because he won an Olympic gold medal.
‘Triple C’s elite wrestling was on display when he earned a dominant win over UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.
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