The Real American Freestyle 2026 schedule rolls on with RAF 08 taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the Liacouras Center. Two former UFC Champions, Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo, face off in a Lightweight match in the Main Event of this card. Current No. 2 UFC Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan takes on former UFC and WEC fighter Urijah Faber in the co-main event.
If a Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo matchup sounds familiar, that is because the two first faced off at UFC 298 in a three-round MMA contest. Dvalishvili beat Cejudo in that fight by unanimous decision. This is Dvalishvili’s first wrestling match and Cejudo’s second appearance in the RAF. Cejudo beat Faver by technical fall at RAF 06 in February.
Although Arman Tsarukyan has fought only once in MMA in the last year, he has remained active outside the UFC, competing in various promotions. Tsarukyan is 4-0 in Real American Freestyle and has an overall record of 8-0-1 throughout the last two years in grappling and wrestling matches. Faber enters this match 0-1 in RAF and is making his second appearance for the promotion this year. In his MMA career, Faber is 35-11 with 27 finishes and last fought in 2019. Faber has competed six times in grappling and combat jiu-jitsu since retiring from MMA.
Check out the full card for Saturday’s RAF 08 card below.
RAF 08 Card
Lightweight Match: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo
Middleweight Match: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Urijah Faber
Light Heavyweight Championship Match: Kyle Snyder (c) vs. Rizabek Aitmukhan
Cruiserweight Match: Zahid Valencia vs. Aeoden Sinclair
Heavyweight Match: Anthony Cassioppi vs. Shamil Sharipov
Bantamweight Championship Match: Helen Maroulis vs. Alexis Janiak – championship match
Featherweight Match: Real Woods vs. Anthony Ashnault
Middleweight Match: Jason Nolf vs. Joey Blaze
Featherweight Match: Vladimer Khinchegashvili vs. Johnni DiJulius
Lightweight Match: Lance Palmer vs. Cayden Henschel
Featherweight Match: Jordan Oliver vs. Mike Vanbrill
Bantamweight Match: Darian Cruz vs. Lucas Byrd
RAF 08: FAQ
Where is RAF 08 taking place?
The event is taking place at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What time does RAF 08 start?
RAF 08 starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18.
How can I watch RAF 08?
RAF 08 and all of their events air live on Fox Nation.
