RAF 09 Stages Pre-Event Faceoffs for 3 UFC-Linked Headliners in Texas

1 articles · Updated · MMA Junkie · May 29

Arlington, Texas hosted RAF 09 pre-event faceoffs Friday, putting Gable Steveson, Colby Covington and Chris Weidman in front of fans before Saturday’s card.
Steveson tops the event in his RAF debut, with the Olympic gold medalist and recent UFC signee set to face Alexandr Romanov in the main event at College Park Center.
Covington meets Weidman in the co-main event, matching the recently retired former UFC contender against the soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer.
The card also includes Merab Dvalishvili vs. Frankie Edgar and Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mugzy, underscoring RAF 09’s heavy mix of current and former UFC names.
Saturday’s event will stream live on Fox Nation as Real American Freestyle returns for its ninth show.

How are retired UFC legends faring against elite specialists in this new pure wrestling format?

Is RAF's new youth-to-pro pipeline the key to building a sustainable professional wrestling empire?

Can an Olympic champion's debut finally make freestyle wrestling a mainstream spectator sport?