RAF 8 results: Tsarukyan defeats Faber, Snyder wins, Sharipov scores pinfall

Arman Tsarukyan added a wrestling result to his resume on April 19 at RAF 8, defeating Urijah Faber by technical superiority with a commanding 13-1 score in the third round of their match.

Tsarukyan, 29, is one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC lightweight division, where he holds the number-one contender ranking with a professional MMA record of 23-3. The Russian, who trains out of American Top Team, stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach and brings elite grappling credentials into everything he does — his takedown rate of 3.26 per 15 minutes reflects the wrestling base on display at RAF 8.

Faber, now 47, is an American combat sports institution. Fighting out of his own Team Alpha Male gym in Sacramento, the California Kid carries a career MMA record of 35-11 and built his reputation on a relentless combination of takedowns and submission threats, averaging 1.54 takedowns and 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes over the course of his career. His appearance at a high-level wrestling event underscores his continued competitive drive well beyond his UFC tenure.

Elsewhere on the RAF 8 card, Kyle Snyder defeated Rizabek Aitmukhan 12-6 on points, Shamil Sharipov recorded a first-round pinfall over Anthony Cassiopi, and Helen Maroules stopped Alexis Yaniak via technical superiority 10-0 in round two.

Why it matters

• Tsarukyan's 13-1 technical superiority win demonstrates wrestling sharpness ahead of what would be a pivotal lightweight title run in the UFC
• Faber's participation at 47 continues to highlight his unique longevity in combat sports competition
• The RAF 8 card showed legitimate crossover between MMA and folkstyle or freestyle wrestling formats, with competitors from multiple disciplines on the same card