Arman Tsarukyan will face Neiman Gracie at Real American Freestyle's debut in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena. Kennedy Blades will put her RAF middleweight title on the line against Bella Mir, while Kyle Dake defends his cruiserweight title against Alp Arslan Begenjov. The card is headlined by Colby Covington vs. Khamzat Chimaev for the cruiserweight crossover title. Tsarukyan is also scheduled to headline RAF 14 against Dillon Danis on Oct. 23.
Real American Freestyle will make its Abu Dhabi debut on Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena, and the promotion has built a card that mixes wrestling titles with MMA crossover names. Arman Tsarukyan will face Neiman Gracie on the card.
The event is headlined by Colby Covington against Khamzat Chimaev for the cruiserweight crossover title. Two RAF championships are also on the line. Kennedy Blades will put her middleweight title on the line against Bella Mir, while Kyle Dake defends his cruiserweight title against Alp Arslan Begenjov.
Tsarukyan has a busy schedule ahead. He is also set to headline RAF 14 against Dillon Danis on Oct. 23, three weeks before the Abu Dhabi show.
The main event names
Chimaev, 32, is 15-1 and sits at number one in the middleweight rankings, with a number 10 spot in the pound-for-pound list. The Allstars Training Center fighter represents the United Arab Emirates, which makes the Abu Dhabi stage a home setting. He lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at 60 percent accuracy and averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Covington, 38, brings a 17-5 record from MMA Masters. The American lands 3.81 significant strikes per minute at 38 percent accuracy and averages 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes, a wrestling-heavy profile that fits the freestyle format.
Gracie in the mix
Gracie, a 6-0 Brazilian fighter out of Kings MMA, is a grappling-first competitor. He averages 5.77 takedowns and 5.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes, and his 100 percent striking accuracy comes on a low volume of 0.77 significant strikes landed per minute. At six feet tall, he will meet Tsarukyan in a bout that leans on his ground game.
Why it matters
- Abu Dhabi hosts RAF's first event there, with Chimaev fighting in the country he represents.
- Two RAF titles, Blades-Mir and Dake-Begenjov, are defended on the same card as the crossover title bout.
- Tsarukyan's back-to-back appearances, against Danis on Oct. 23 and Gracie on Nov. 14, give him two outings in under a month.
