RAF 07: Preview

Since the NCAA Tournament took place last weekend and put a bow on the collegiate season, that means it’s a slow period for wrestling, right? Not exactly. Tonight, RAF will showcase their seventh card, the aptly named RAF 07. Previous offerings from RAF have been heavy on matches based on entertainment value outside of the wrestling world, more so than matches for wrestling junkies. While this card certainly has some matches that will attract attention from the MMA world, it is perhaps the best slate, to date, from a pure wrestling standpoint. RAF 07 is filled with interesting stylistic matchups, young stars getting tested by decorated vets, and a few matches that are toss-up’s. Here’s a rundown of what to expect from RAF 07. Middleweight Bout (175 lbs) - Arman Tsarukyan vs. Georgio Poullas This is a matchup that just had to happen on the RAF 07 card. Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas met just one card against on RAF 06 with Tsarukyan winning, 5-3. The result of the match is almost immaterial as Tsarukyan struck Poullas as the pair were getting up after the final whistle and a brawl ensued. It is easily the wildest moment in the short history of RAF. Initially, the pair agreed on a grappling match with another organization, but that was quickly scrapped in lieu of a rematch on the RAF mat. Even if you are of the mindset that brawls are not good for our sport, you can still acknowledge that this rematch probably generates a ton of interest outside of our wrestling bubble. Cruiserweight Bout (190 lbs) - Colby Covington vs. Dillon Danis Along with Tsarukyan/Poullas, this bout has the potential to draw some eyes from the MMA world. Both Colby Covington and Dillon Danis are among the most outspoken and controversial figures in MMA. Covington got a win over Luke Rockhold in the main event of RAF 05 and was a DI All-American from Oregon State. Danis has a wrestling background, but also a checkered history between boxing, MMA, and grappling. Two years ago, he was disqualified from a boxing match with Logan Paul for a takedown and a choke, leading to a brawl. There’s a good chance that some sort of shenanigans follow this bout. Cruiserweight Championship Match (190 lbs) - Kyle Dake vs. Parker Keckeisen With the results that have turned up in RAF, this is a logical matchup to make and headline the pure wrestling portion of this card. Kyle Dake has been a day one mainstay with this organization, beating Dean Hamiti for the cruiserweight belt and then defending twice since. His most recent victory was an action-packed 10-7 victory over his Olympic rival, Kadimagomedov. Keckeisen’s RAF debut was one to remember as he stunned 2025 World Champion Zahid Valencia 10-2 on RAF 04. Such a win is worthy of an immediate title shot. The most recent meeting between these two took place at the 2025 World Team Trials and Dake was victorious to the tune of 11-1. That match was about two months removed from the end of Keckeisen’s final NCAA tournament for UNI, so he’s likely grown with freestyle-only training since then. Light Heavyweight Championship Match (215 lbs) - Akhmed Tazhudinov vs. Kyle Snyder Back in 2023, Akhmed Tazhudinov burst on the Senior level with a stunning 11-0 tech over Kyle Snyder in the quarterfinals of the World Championships. A round later, he was beating the legendary Abdulrashid Sadulaev before an injury default. A year later, Tazhudinov defeated Snyder in the semifinals of the Olympic Games - on his way to winning gold. Since then, Tazhudinov has participated in the RAF 03 card and got into a back-and-forth battle with Tony Cassioppi before prevailing via fall. Snyder was set to headline the RAF 02 card against Mason Parris, but had to pull out via injury. After the 2024 Olympic Games, Snyder returned to the top of the heap at 97 kg and captured his fourth title, to go along with a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics. This will be RAF’s first matchup that features two Olympic gold medalists squaring off with each other. It is also for the vacant light heavyweight belt. Women’s Middleweight Championship Match (150 lbs) - Kennedy Blades vs. Milana Dudieva The face of the women’s division at RAF has been Kennedy Blades. She hasn’t disappointed either, winning both of her previous RAF appearances by tech fall and without surrendering a point. At times, she looked like she was toying with her opponents and going for highlight reel suplexes rather than simpler leg attacks. Tonight, she’ll take on Milana Dudieva, a decorated MMA fighter who has seen action in the UFC and Invicta. Dudieva reportedly comes from a Judo background, so she might be the right woman to attempt upper-body throws on Blades. Heavyweight Championship Match (UNL) - Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Trent Hillger Wyatt Hendrickson returns for his third RAF match to defend his heavyweight championship against RAF newbie Trent Hillger. These two are not strangers, as the pair met in Final X last year. Their series was unexpectedly one of the most exciting of the evening and provided fans with the highest scoring bout in Final X history. Since turning his attention to the Senior level, Hendrickson has mowed through a lot of the top competitors; however, Hillger was able to do some damage at Hendrickson’s expense. We’ll see if Hendrickson is able to make adjustments and roll or if Hillger still is a difficult matchup for him. Featherweight Bout (145 lbs) - Bo Bassett vs. Vladimir Khinchesgashvili Bo Bassett’s third RAF appearance will feature a huge step up in competition from his previous two matches. Bassett made his debut with a 1:00 fall over 2009 NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell. At RAF 05, Bassett teched Cayden Henschel, 14-4. Now, the high school senior will have to deal with world and Olympic gold medalist Vladimir Khinchegashvili. The Georgian star is a two-time Olympic medalist and a three-time world medalist and was one of the best lightweights of his era. Khinchegashvili’s Olympic gold medal came in 2016 and his most recent world medal came a year later, so he’s clearly past his prime. That being said, he still could be a problem for Bassett. Without competing regularly, Khinchegashvili might have issues trying to keep up with Bassett’s pace and gas tank. Cruiserweight Bout (190 lbs) - Khidir Saipudinov vs. Aeoden Sinclair This might end up being one of the more action-packed bouts of the evening. Aeoden Sinclair was supposed to participate on the RAF 01 card, but was pulled because of potential NCAA eligibility concerns. Now, a week removed from his first NCAA appearance (and a third-place finish), he’s ready to go. In a 184 lb weight class filled with defensive-minded title contenders, Sinclair’s offense was a welcome change. His opponent is Khidir Saipudinov, a bronze medalist at the 2025 World Championships and a silver medalist at the Asian Championships. The only wrestler to defeat Saipudinov at the 2025 World Championships was American, Levi Haines (via a 5-2 score). Middleweight Bout (175 lbs) - Tajmuraz Salkazanov vs. Jason Nolf This matchup is one that features an interesting contrast of styles. Tajmuraz Salkazanov is defensively sound and a quality counter-attacker, while Jason Nolf is much more offensively minded and creative in his attacks. Both wrestlers will be making their third appearance in RAF. Salkazanov is unbeaten with wins over James Green and Keegan O’Toole. The O’Toole win took place at RAF 06 and Salkazanov was impressive during his 9-0 win over the former U23 world champion. Nolf lost a back-and-forth thriller on the RAF 01 card to Evan Wick and then cruised to a 10-0 victory over grappling star Andy Varela at RAF 04. This could end up being a de facto #1 contender matchup with the winner facing middleweight champion Dean Hamiti on a future card. Light Heavyweight Bout (215 lbs) - Trent Hidlay vs. Patrick Downey Patrick Downey has proven to be one of the most frequent competitors during the short history of RAF. He wrestled on cards 02-04 and was slated to appear on 05, before the card needed last-minute changes. Downey has a pair of losses to the legendary Yoel Romero and Jake Varner, plus a win over MMA fighter Joaquin Buckley. Tonight, he’ll have to contend with a Trent Hidlay, who is coming off a world championship in 2025. Hidlay made his debut on RAF 04 and turned in a solid, 5-3 win over Jacob Cardenas. If Hidlay’s close to top shape, it could be a rough evening for Downey. Featherweight Bout (145 lbs) - Johnni DiJulius vs. Conor Beebe On the RAF 05 card, Johnni DiJulius took on and was beaten by 2020 Big Ten champion Pat Lugo. This might be a more appropriate matchup for him rather than an opponent who was still close to his collegiate career and has semi-recently competed on the Senior level. This time, DiJulius will take on Conor Beebe, a four-time national qualifier for Central Michigan from 2007-10. Beebe is now a club coach in the greater Tampa area. DiJulius had similar collegiate credentials and was a starter on Ohio State’s 2015 NCAA Championship-winning team.

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