Real American Freestyle Launches Abu Dhabi Event Series

Real American Freestyle is going global in earnest, and its next long-term stop is one of combat sports’ most familiar stages.

RAF has announced “RAF Abu Dhabi,” a new event series that will debut on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Etihad Arena as part of a five-year deal with the UAE capital. The promotion expects former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev to headline the inaugural card, with fellow UFC names Arman Tsarukyan and Henry Cejudo also slated to feature. On the wrestling side, Olympic and world champions Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder, and Abdulrashid Sadulaev are scheduled to compete, giving the launch a marquee, crossover feel.

From the moment RAF launched, its leadership talked about taking the product to the biggest stages in combat sports. Abu Dhabi fits that brief. The city has become a second home for elite MMA and grappling, with the infrastructure, arenas, and government backing to stage major events that play as well on television as they do in the arena.

Chad Bronstein, CEO and Co-Founder of RAF, framed the move as a natural evolution, calling Abu Dhabi “the world's great sports markets” and outlining a vision in which RAF Abu Dhabi grows into a signature stop on the calendar, not a one-off experiment. The long-term nature of the agreement gives the promotion something rare in the fight game: runway. Time to build storylines, rivalries, and a regional fan base around a recurring show.

Abu Dhabi, for its part, continues to stack its portfolio. H.E. Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, welcomed RAF as the latest addition to a schedule already packed with high-profile events. The message is clear: the emirate wants more top-tier combat sports, and it wants them on a regular basis at venues like Etihad Arena.

Before the spotlight swings to the Gulf, RAF still has business in Las Vegas.

RAF 14 is set for Oct. 3 at BleauLive Theater inside Fontainebleau, and it carries the kind of eclectic lineup that has quickly become the promotion’s calling card. Arman Tsarukyan will meet Dillon Danis for RAF’s crossover championship, a bout that pits a surging UFC contender against one of combat sports’ most polarizing figures. Alexander Shlemenko faces Michael Page at cruiserweight in a stylistic clash between a seasoned Russian technician and one of the sport’s most unorthodox strikers.

The wrestling purists get their share as well. Nathan Tomasello takes on Roman Bravo-Young at bantamweight, Nick Suriano meets Dylan Ragusin at featherweight, and Jordan Burroughs locks in with Michael Caliendo at middleweight. Those matchups speak directly to RAF’s core promise: elite freestyle wrestling framed with the production and stakes of a major fight promotion.

If RAF 14 in Las Vegas showcases what the brand already is, RAF Abu Dhabi hints at what it wants to become. A fixture. A destination. A night that sits circled on calendars from state-room offices in Abu Dhabi to wrestling rooms and MMA gyms across the world.