Matches to Make for RAF 11 Participants

The busiest week of Real American Freestyle (RAF) action has come and gone. Within seven days, the organization put together two excellent events on two continents. Now, we get to look ahead at what’s next. Or at least speculate and play matchmaker. Playing matchmaker is what we like to do after RAF events and we’ve done that for the participants in RAF 11. Like last time, there are a few competitors from RAF 11 who already have matches booked for RAF 12, so we’re not going to mess with those plans. Otherwise, here’s what we’ve “fantasy booked” for everyone else. Colby Covington This match has already been made. Covington will defend the Crossover championship against Belal Muhammad at the RAF 12 show, as a co-main event. Arman Tsarukyan: Bubba Jenkins Arman Tsarukyan’s RAF winning streak came to an end with his loss on Saturday to Colby Covington. Finding a logical next step for Tsarukyan was not easy. Perhaps a catchweight match with Bubba Jenkins? In his bout with David Carr, Jenkins showed he’s capable of flashing the talent that made him one of the most athletic wrestlers of his era - even against an opponent significantly younger than him. How about a larger one, but with less of an actual wrestling pedigree like Tsarukyan? Belal Muhammad See above ref: Colby Covington. Ben Askren Askren left his shoes in the middle of the mat signifying his retirement. Ben should enjoy his retirement, continue coaching at the club level and contribute to RAF behind-the-scenes. Frankie Edgar: Lance Palmer Here’s a couple of MMA fighters a couple of years removed from fighting, but as of now, back active on the wrestling scene. Palmer has the edge in age and wrestling credentials, but Edgar proved time and again during his UFC days that he should never be counted out. Clay Guida: Eric Larkin The loss to Frankie Edgar was Clay Guida’s third in RAF, but I see him coming back in the future. What about a random match with Eric Larkin? Larkin was the 2003 Hodge Trophy winner and one of the superstars of his era. He even had a brief MMA career. Now, his kids are taking over at the youth and collegiate level. Let’s have the kids corner dad this time! Keegan O’Toole: Joey Blaze How about another one of Jason Nolf’s former opponents - Joey Blaze? Blaze is coming off the loss to Nolf, but it was a fun match that was not as much of a blowout as the scoreboard might indicate. We’ve come to expect fireworks any time O’Toole takes the match, so this could be a lot of fun. Christopher Minto: Magomedrasul Asluev (Bahrain) RAF has already had a few wrestlers who represent Bahrain on its cards. How about another? Magomedrasul Asluev was an Asian silver medalist this year and recently dropped a match on criteria to Will Lewan at the Hungarian Ranking Series event. Asluev was a bronze medalist in Hungary in 2025 and at the Asian Championships that year, as well. Adeline Gray: Final X loser/Tamyra Mensah-Stock You would think that a Gray/Mensah-Stock match would be something that RAF would love to put together, but I don’t see that as the next step for Gray (provided TMS is interested). The 76 kg Final X series between Kylie Welker and Dymond Guilford was delayed due to an injury to Welker. How about the loser of that series takes on Gray? Skylar Grote: Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) Grote has been on the national scene around 72 kg for awhile, so most of the domestic matches for her have already taken place at US Open’s or World Team Trials. Looking internationally, Zhamila Bakbergenova is highly decorated with four world medals. Her results lately have been a mixed bag - a title at the Muhamet Malo, but a handful of losses at other Rankings Series tournaments and a 10th place finish at the 2025 World Championships. Arsen Harutyunyan: Rei Higuchi This was supposed to be Arsen Harutyunyan’s debut match on the RAF 10 card, but Higuchi was pulled for Caleb Smith very late in the game. I can’t stop thinking about the potential Rei Higuchi match. Provided he’s healthy, let’s make it ASAP! Ben Davino: Masanosuke Ono Even before RAF 11 took place, we knew that Masanosuke Ono would be next for the NCAA runner-up from Ohio State. This match should be one of the best on the RAF 12 card. Trent Hidlay: Ali Tcokaev (Azerbaijan) Azerbaijan’s next guy at 92 kg is Ali Tcokaev. He was a U23 world bronze medalist in 2025 and an Asian U23 champion earlier this year. At the recent Hungarian Ranking Series event, Tcokaev came away with a gold medal in a solid weight class. Tcokaev still may not get the nod at Seniors this year because of the presence of Osman Nurmagomedov, so why not a bout with Hidlay in the near future? Magomedkhan Magomedov: Dustin Plott Speaking of Tcokaev, Dustin Plott drew the young Azeri star in the first round of the Hungarian event and lost by two points. Plott finished the tournament with a bronze after two impressive techs. He has already competed once in RAF, so let’s make it happen! Magomed Ramazanov: Zahid Valencia With Kyle Dake grabbing the 86 kg world team spot from Zahid Valencia, Valencia needs some matches in the interim. Let’s get the 2024 Olympic champion paired off with the most dominant wrestler from the 2025 World Championships! Aeoden Sinclair: Dauren Kurugliev (Greece) Young Aeoden Sinclair has shown no fear during his time with RAF. He’s taken on all comers and, even in losses, has proven that he belongs on the same mat with world and Olympic champions. A couple of months ago, RAF put out a press release with a bunch of recent signees, Dauren Kurugliev being one of them. He has not competed under the RAF banner as of yet. How about Sinclair versus the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist for a debut? Maybe on the Russian card since Kurugliev is a Russian competing for Greece? Zac Braunagel: Jacob Cardenas This isn’t a flashy matchup - it’s just two tough, physical dudes! There’s a little difference in body types, but each is a bruiser in their own right. There is a bit of history between the two as Jacob Cardenas defeated Braunagel by two points in the 2024 bloodround. I’m sure the Illinois grad hasn’t forgotten about that one. Patrick Downey: Kollin Moore We haven’t seen Kollin Moore on the scene for a couple of years, as he announced his retirement in mid-2024, but he’s spent a few years near the top of the domestic ladder. Moore has medals at the U20 and U23 levels, so he’s a stud at freestyle. Under the right circumstances, would he return for a match with the infamous Patrick Downey? Tony Cassioppi: Yonger Bastida Surprisingly enough, we never got to see Tony Cassioppi and Yonger Bastida clash during a Cy-Hawk dual! Cassioppi had two incredibly tough opponents in his first two RAF appearances, but got into the win column on Saturday. Bastida faced one of those opponents (Sharipov) and looked solid in his debut. Maybe these two on the next Midwestern card? Mostafa Elders: Greg Kerkvliet We saw Greg Kerkvliet return to Senior level competition in Turkiye and then the US Open and the World Team Trials. On occasion, RAF has used a debut match as a tune-up of sorts for a new star. This could be something of the sort for Kerkvliet. Michael Caliendo: Soner Demirtas (Turkiye) During the lead-up to RAF Georgia, we got a tease of a potential event or partnership in Turkey. With that in mind, how about a Turkish opponent for Mikey Caliendo? Soner Demirtas is a highly decorated and capable opponent; however, he is getting up there in age and is probably past being a consistent threat for a world medal. That being said, he was a bronze medalist in 2016 at the Olympic Games and a year later at the World Championships. It’s another step up for Caliendo. Mirzo Khayitov: Cesar Alvan Mirzo Khayitov made his RAF debut Saturday and fell to Caliendo, 9-2. We’re going to pair him with an opponent that American fans are familiar with, yet one that is competing for another country internationally. Cesar Alvan of Brazil. Alvan was one of the stars and feel-good stories from the 2026 NCAA Championships, taking third after coming in as the #12 seed. With his judo background, there’s always the potential for some highlight-reel moves. Lucia Yepez Guzman: Cristelle Rodriguez Pan-Am rematch! Cristelle Rodrigeuz will be our representative at the world championships at 53 kg and it’s her second straight world team appearance. Earlier this year, Rodriguez went to the Pan-American Championships and was teched by Lucia Yepez Guzman. Felicity Taylor: Zeltzin Hernandez The first women’s strawweight matchup took place on the RAF 01 card as Zeltzin Hernandez fell to Sarah Hildebrandt. She should probably get another shot, as losing to Hildebrandt is fairly common for lightweights around the world. I like this match more than Taylor against some of the foes she wrestled in college.

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