UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili is set to step onto a different kind of mat this spring, signing with Real American Freestyle (RAF Wrestling) and confirming his debut for RAF08 on April 18. The event is scheduled for the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will stream on FOX Nation as the upstart freestyle league continues to feature high-profile names from the MMA world.
Dvalishvili, long regarded as one of the UFC’s most relentless grapplers, will compete under freestyle wrestling rules as part of RAF’s push to showcase elite combat sports athletes in a professional, unscripted format built around real wrestling.
Promotion officials have yet to announce an opponent for “The Machine,” but RAF executives have framed his signing as a major statement of intent as the company builds its 2026 schedule around crossover stars from wrestling and MMA.
About Real American Freestyle
RAF, founded in 2025 and headquartered in Florida, has quickly carved out a niche by bringing current and former amateur standouts, Olympians, and MMA fighters into a paid freestyle league, with recent and upcoming events featuring names such as Colby Covington, Luke Rockhold, Henry Cejudo, and Urijah Faber.
Dvalishvili’s April appearance at RAF08 will mark his first competitive outing outside the UFC in several years and adds further crossover intrigue for fans tracking his next move in the octagon.