RAF 06: Preview

Since RAF 05 took place on January 10th, we’re going through RAF withdrawals, having about a month and a half in between events. No worries, RAF 06 is back tonight from Tempe, Arizona. The organization’s sixth offering will head way out west and take place on the campus of Arizona State University. As you might expect, there’s plenty of ASU/Arizona flavor around this card. RAF 06 is loaded with one championship match, an appearance by one of the best combat sports athletes ever, perhaps the biggest rising star in women’s wrestling, and plenty of fun matches. Here’s what to watch for this evening. You can watch it on the FoxNation App tonight at 9pm EST. Welterweight (165 lbs) - Clay Guida vs. Mugzy Bulljunk This is a contest between two RAF veterans who have served the organization admirably from a promotional standpoint. Clay Guida made his RAF debut in his hometown of Chicago and suffered a loss via tech to Cayden Henschel. Henschel also teched Mugzy Bulljunk in the previous event. While Mugzy has the age advantage, Guida’s wrestling background is likely a difference-maker. Featherweight (145 lbs) - Jordan Oliver vs. Beau Bartlett At RAF 05, Jordan Oliver missed weight and was stripped of his featherweight title. He ended competing on the card and posted a second-straight win over Real Woods via criteria. Neither match was particularly action-packed, but Oliver did get his hand raised. He’s looking to get back in the title picture against RAF debutant Beau Bartlett. Bartlett finished in the top three on three occasions at Penn State and was a Junior world bronze medalist in freestyle. Middleweight (175 lbs) - Aljamain Sterling vs. Benson Henderson Initially, Benson Henderson was set to square off with fellow UFC veteran Chad Mendes; however, Mendes recently pulled out with an injury. In his place, another UFC veteran steps in, Aljamain Sterling. Both of these wrestlers-turned-fighters were collegiate All-Americans at one time. Sterling at the DIII level and Henderson at the NAIA level. Sterling is six years younger than Henderson, but Henderson has been on the card and training for the match longer. Without more information about the current wrestling skills of both athletes, it’s hard to forecast how this match will play out. Cruiserweight (190 lbs) - Zahid Valencia vs. Mahmoud Sebie 2025 world champion Zahid Valencia is back for his third match with RAF, and it takes place in the area in which he captured a pair of NCAA titles competing for Arizona State. While Valencia will have a strong following wherever he goes, expect the Arizona crowd to be very vocal on his behalf. Valencia was shocked in his RAF debut against Parker Keckeisen, but rebounded to get his first win against Nate Jackson on the RAF 05 card. Mahmoud Sebie made the 2016 Olympic Games in Greco-Roman representing Egypt, but has since moved to the United States and wrestled under the stars and stripes. He was most recently a silver medalist at the 2024 Pan-American Championships. Sebie has since transitioned to MMA and racked up a 6-3 record professionally. Middleweight (175 lbs) - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov vs. Evan Wick If you could only watch one match tonight (but why?), it has to be this one. Kadi and Evan Wick have been proven to be must-watch during their short stints in RAF. Wick and Jason Nolf engaged in one of the best matches in RAF history on their inaugural card and Wick captured the middleweight championship. Even in a loss to Dean Hamiti, there were plenty of fireworks. Kadi’s two RAF appearances have combined to feature 35 total points. The first was a win over Dustin Plott and the second was a close title loss to Kyle Dake. Kadi has also provided some of the best highlights from an individual move standpoint. Middleweight (175 lbs) - Tajmuraz Salkazanov vs. Keegan O’Toole Way back on the RAF 02 card, Tajmuraz Salkazanov made his RAF debut with a 4-4 win on criteria over James Green. It still remains one of the most high-level clashes in RAF history. The four-time world medalist remains one of the best active, international participants in RAF. He could have an entertaining matchup with Keegan O’Toole tonight. O’Toole will be competing in RAF for the first time. He won a pair of titles at Missouri and has already proven his mettle on the freestyle scene. O’Toole has captured world titles at the U20 and U23 age groups. I’d expect the winner to wrestle for the middleweight title sometime in the near future. Women’s Strawweight (120 lbs) - Lucia Guzman Yepez vs. Everest Leydecker Recent RAF cards have featured Bo Bassett, one of the bright young faces in the wrestling world today. The same can be said for Everest Leydecker, who is one of the best young women’s prospects in America. In 2025, Leydecker dominated the field en route to a gold medal at the U20 World Championships as a 17-year-old. Earlier this year, Leydecker won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series Event. She’ll get an excellent test on Saturday with three-time World/Olympic medalist Lucia Guzman Yepez. Guzman Yepez has silver medals from the 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 World Championships at 53 kg. At 25 years old, she’s probably right in the middle of her prime. The winner of this contest is said to take on strawweight champion Sarah Hildebrandt on a future card. Unlimited - Stephen Buchanan vs. Givi Matcharashvili There was some confusion around weights and weight classes last month during Stephen Buchanan’s RAF debut, but he went out and posted a dominating win over the legendary Yoel Romero. Since then, Buchanan has captured the world’s attention with titles at the Henri DeGlane and the Zagreb Open Ranking Series Event. The 2025 NCAA champion might end up being a key player in the world team hunt at 97 kg. Before that, Buchanan has a matchup with the highly decorated Givi Matcharashvili. The Georgian was a silver medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games and a two-time world bronze medalist, to go along with three European gold medals. He’s an elite upperweight and another great test for Buchanan, who is still very young in his freestyle development. Featherweight (145 lbs) - Andrew Alirez vs. Bryce Meredith This match was supposed to be Bryce Meredith against Muhammad Mokaev, but Mokaev pulled out and was replaced by Andrew Alirez. From a pure wrestling standpoint, I like the match much better. Meredith was a two-time NCAA finalist, who has moved into the MMA world. Alirez was an NCAA champion for Northern Colorado and finished up with an injury-plagued 2024-25 season. Hopefully, this is a sign that he’s healthy and ready to challenge for world/Olympic teams. We’re not really sure what to expect from Meredith in his time away from the wrestling world, but I’m sure he’ll acquit himself well. This is also fun because both wrestlers graduated from Big 12 wrestling schools that are separated by less than two hours. Welterweight Championship (165 lbs) - David Carr vs. Bubba Jenkins He’s going from the booth to the wrestling mat! Bubba Jenkins started as an announcer on the first couple of RAF cards, but now he’s traded the mic for a singlet. The 2011 NCAA champion was one of the most exciting wrestlers of his generation, highlighted by his pin of David Taylor in the national finals. Jumping back in against our returning world team member and current RAF champion, David Carr, might be a bit ambitious. Carr has won via tech in both of his previous RAF appearances. Middleweight (175 lbs) - Arman Tsarukyan vs. Georgio Poullas Both Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas made their RAF debuts on the 05 card. Tsarukyan ran through 2010 national finalist Lance Palmer, while Poullas downed Mugzy in a battle of wrestling influencers. The UFC title contender Tsarukyan obviously has more high-level competitive experience than Poullas; however, Poullas was a very solid collegiate wrestler for Cleveland State. This is one I’m honestly not sure how it will play out. Lightweight (155 lbs) - Henry Cejudo vs. Urijah Faber The first card in Arizona is the perfect place for Henry Cejudo to hit the RAF mat for the first time. Cejudo recently retired from fighting, but is considered one of the best combat sports athletes ever. He has a 2008 Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling and he held UFC titles simultaneously at the flyweight and bantamweight division. Cejudo’s name alone should draw plenty of non-wrestling eyes to the card. Even so, I think he’ll be more than a sideshow attraction and be able to show some of his wrestling prowess. Urijah Faber was a two-time NCAA qualifier for UC Davis and was an instrumental figure in the growth of the lighter weight classes on the national MMA scene. He was the WEC featherweight champion and fought for the UFC title on multiple occasions. Faber has competed in freestyle in the Veterans division at the US Open in recent years, so he should be able to handle himself well.

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