RAF Moscow: Preview

Tomorrow is the 14th card from Real American Freestyle and perhaps the most unusual, but high-profile card in the organization’s short history. As you might expect, RAF Moscow takes place in Russia’s capital, something that wrestling fans wouldn’t expect to see in 2026. This card is absolutely loaded with talent and intriguing matchups. Some of the best ever to do it on the American side (Snyder/Burroughs/Dake), plus some of the top Russian talent. It’s an interesting sprinkling of talent from Russia, with a couple of different generations represented - A 2008 Olympic gold medalist and a 19-year-old future (current star). Below is a match-by-match rundown of the event and what to expect from each bout. Pay attention to social media as the streaming service for this event hasn’t been officially made publicly available yet. Catchweight - Khamzat Chimaev vs. Tyron Woodley The second time competing under the RAF umbrella should be significantly more difficult, compared to the first, for Khamzat Chimaev. In his debut, Chimaev pinned Dillon Danis in less than a minute at RAF 10 and chaos ensued after the fall was awarded. Tyron Woodley will also get a step up in competition. The former UFC champion and two-time All-American for Missouri made his first appearance at RAF 12 against Joaquin Buckley. Woodley started slowly, but turned it on late to win 14-8. As we saw at RAF Georgia, a partisan crowd will likely have Chimaev’s back and make things even more difficult for Woodley to navigate. Light Heavyweight (215 lbs) - Abdulrashid Sadulaev vs. Zac Braunagel In the only other international RAF show, Abdulrashid Sadulaev squared off with longtime rival Kyle Snyder. Sadulaev appeared to be injured as he was pinned, but hopefully, that was worse than it appeared because he’ll be in action a month and a half later. Stepping up in the Rocky role in Rocky IV is Zac Braunagel, the multiple-time national qualifier from Illinois. Braunagel got his RAF career started on a positive note at RAF 11 with a 12-2 tech over Patrick Downey. Heavyweight (UNL) - Anatoly Malykhin vs. Pouya Rahmani There isn’t much information out there about either of the competitors in this match. Anatoly Malykhin was a bronze medalist at Russian Nationals in 2013 and doesn’t appear to have competed internationally since then. UWW’s records only have Rahmani with one international tournament under his belt, the International Ukrainian Tournament in 2017. Honestly, I’m not sure what to expect from either opponent. Middleweight (175 lbs) - Yusuf Raisov vs. Marif Piraev This is a bout between a pair of Russian MMA fighters. I couldn’t find much in terms of wrestling background for either. I’m sure they have some level of experience with the sport. Cruiserweight (190 lbs) - Zahid Valencia vs. Ibragim Kadiev This might very well be the most competitive and anticipated matchup from a pure wrestling standpoint. Zahid Valencia is the reigning world champion at 86 kg and blew through the field to capture that title. Ibragim Kadiev was in his weight class; however, the two did not meet. Kadiev, at age 22, is a rising star and won his first European Senior title this year. Also in 2026, Kadiev defeated Kyle Dake at the Muhamet Malo Tournament. At the age group level, Kadiev won back-to-back U20 world titles in 2023-24. Valencia will be making his fifth appearance in RAF and sports a 3-1 record. In his most recent appearance, he held off Aeoden Sinclair, 8-2. Middleweight (175 lbs) - Jordan Burroughs vs. Magomed Kurbanaliev Just a couple of weeks after his RAF debut, Jordan Burroughs will take the mat once again. In his debut, Burroughs blew through MMA star Sean Brady in an 11-0 tech. Now, Burroughs’ opposition is a bit tougher with veteran Magomed Kurbanaliev. Kurbanaliev is a two-time world medalist for Russia and a one-time world champion. Of course, Kurbanaliev’s world title came in 2016 and he hasn’t competed since 2021, so his ability is a bit unknown at this time. With Burroughs’ status as an all-time great and past history versus Russians, this one probably gets the crowd loud and involved. Light Heavyweight (215 lbs) - Bo Nickal vs. Shirvani Muradov Bo Nickal was one of the stars of the RAF 01 card and waited until RAF 12 to hit the mat for a second time. In his debut, Nickal pulled out a close win over Jacob Cardenas. Last month, he was on the opposite side of a close loss to 2026 NCAA champion Max McEnelly. On Saturday, Nickal will face 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shirvani Muradov. Muradov is also a two-time Russian champion and a European Senior gold medalist. Muradov has the edge in accolades, but I’d assume Nickal would be favored in most other categories based on his age. Catchweight - Jason Nolf vs. Ismail Khaniev Along with Valencia/Kadiev, this is another banger! Ismail Khaniev is the next big thing for Russian wrestling. At 19 years old, he just won his second U20 world title. In 2025, Khaniev defeated Ladarion Lockett in the U20 quarterfinals - before capturing his first championship. At the 2026 tournament, Khaniev outscored the field by a 50-2 margin in five bouts. Jason Nolf has been reinvigorated in RAF and has been a frequent participant. In his last outing, Nolf teched Evan Wick to claim the vacant middleweight title. Wick defeated Nolf at RAF 01, but since then, Nolf has racked up five straight wins. Featherweight (145 lbs) - Vito Arujau vs. Soslan Ramonov Here we go! The RAF debut for two-time NCAA champion and 2023 world champion Vito Arujau. When healthy, Arujau is one of the most exciting and dangerous wrestlers in the world. His addition will be a great boost to the RAF featherweight division. Arujau will face Soslan Ramonov, a world and Olympic champion. Ramonov is also a two-time winner at Russian Nationals. This matchup has a different amount of significance to the local fanbase as Arujau’s father, Vugar, was a two-time world champion representing Russia and the Soviet Union. Light Heavyweight Championship (215 lbs) - Kyle Snyder vs. Akhmed Tazhudinov Kyle Snyder versus Sadualev is the rivalry that generates the most hype, but having Captain American face Akhmed Tazhudinov isn’t too bad of a proposition either. Tazhudinov burst onto the world scene in 2023 and defeated both at the 2023 World Championships. A year later, he claimed an Olympic gold medal. These two renewed acquaintances at RAF 07 and Snyder prevailed on criteria. At the time, it appeared as if Tazhudinov wasn’t familiar with the ruleset and assumed he was winning. With their history and the close nature of the last match, a rematch is warranted. This will be Snyder’s fifth appearance in RAF - each has come against an opponent who was at least a world finalist. Women’s Middleweight Championship (150 lbs) - Kennedy Blades vs. Vusala Parfianovich The face of the RAF women’s division will be back in action in Moscow when Kennedy Blades laces them up on Saturday. Blades is a perfect 4-0 in RAF and has yet to surrender a point during any of her four tech fall victories. In her last appearance, she cruised to an 11-0 win over former Iowa teammate Reese Larramendy. Blades’ opponent on Saturday should provide her with her biggest test today, as Vusala Parfianovich was a 2021 U23 world silver medalist. In 2023, at the Senior World Championships, Parfianovich lost a one-point bout to American Emma Bruntil. Cruiserweight (190 lbs) - Sharaputdin Magomedov vs. Neiman Gracie Russian Sharaputdin Magomedov is currently fighting in the middleweight division in the UFC and sports a 6-1 record within that organization. He’ll take on Neiman Gracie of the fabled Gracie family of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fame. Gracie also has experience in MMA and has fought in Bellator and the PFL. Cruiserweight Championship (190 lbs) - Kyle Dake vs. Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov This was initially supposed to be a matchup between Kyle Dake and Azerbaijan’s Arsenii Dzhioev; however, Dzhioev had to pull out and Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov was inserted in his place. Kadimagomedov famously defeated Dake at the 2020 Olympic Games, but Dake got the most recent win (10-7) in their bout at RAF 05. As we saw in that meeting, Dake has a size advantage, but Kadimagomedov is still a great competitor.

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