Arman Tsarukyan will face Tony Ferguson in a professional freestyle wrestling match at RAF 10 on June 13. The announcement was made through the IgorKakDela1 Telegram channel. This bout marks another venture for Tsarukyan into the wrestling promotion space. Details about the venue and other fight card participants have not been disclosed. The matchup pairs a top UFC lightweight contender against a former interim champion in a grappling-focused format.
Arman Tsarukyan and Tony Ferguson are set to meet in a professional freestyle wrestling match at RAF 10 on June 13, with the bout announced via the IgorKakDela1 Telegram channel. No venue details or additional card information have been released at this time.
Tsarukyan, 29, enters the match as the number-one ranked lightweight contender in the UFC, carrying a professional MMA record of 23-3. The Russian fighter, who trains out of American Top Team, stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach. His grappling credentials are well-established — he averages 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes in MMA competition, making him a natural fit for a wrestling format.
Ferguson, nicknamed El Cucuy, is a 42-year-old American fighter and former UFC interim lightweight champion holding a 26-11 record. Standing five-foot-eleven with a 76-inch reach, Ferguson has long been regarded as one of the most unorthodox and active competitors in the lightweight division. He averages 4.91 significant strikes per minute in MMA bouts and contributes 0.9 submission attempts per 15 minutes, reflecting a well-rounded but striking-heavy approach that will face a different test inside a wrestling context.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan is currently the top-ranked UFC lightweight, giving this crossover bout significant visibility for the wrestling promotion
- Ferguson's background as a former interim champion adds marquee value despite his recent MMA struggles
- The freestyle wrestling format shifts the contest away from Ferguson's noted striking output and into Tsarukyan's strongest area
- RAF 10 continues to attract high-profile MMA names into the grappling promotion space
