RAF announces first international event headlined by Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo
RAF announces first international event headlined by Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo
Simon Samano, MMA Junkie Wed, June 3, 2026 at 3:20 PM UTC
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Real American Freestyle is ready to go international.
On Wednesday, the promotion announced a match between former UFC champions Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo will headline an event scheduled for July 11 at Tbilisi Arena in Georgia. RAF, which launched only last August, chose Georgia as its first destination for international expansion given the fact that it's Dvalishvili's home country and rich in wrestling tradition, with 18 Olympic medals won in freestyle and Greco-Roman, including three golds.
"Wrestling has always been a global sport. What it has lacked is a global platform,” RAF CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein said in a statement. “RAF was built to change that. Georgia is home to some of the greatest wrestlers in the world and one of the proudest wrestling cultures anywhere. We couldn’t imagine a better place to launch our international expansion.”
Dvalishvili and Cejudo originally were slated to headline RAF 08 on April 18 in Philadelphia, but Cejudo withdrew on match day because of an undisclosed injury.
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Dvalishvili and Cejudo faced off in an MMA fight in February 2024 at UFC 298, with Dvalishvili winning a unanimous decision on the strength of his takedowns and grappling.
UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan, who has become an RAF mainstay, is confirmed to compete at RAF Georgia, although an opponent has not been determined.
The current lineup for RAF Georgia includes:
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo
Abdulrashid Sadulaev vs. Kyle Snyder
Geno Petriashvili vs. opponent TBA
Givi Matcharashvili vs. Zach Elam
Arman Tsarukyan vs. opponent TBA
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: RAF announces first international event with UFC champ headliners
Source: “AOL Sports”
