Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis wrestle for the inaugural RAF middleweight crossover championship in the main event of RAF 14 on Friday, October 23, at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The 12-bout card starts at 9 p.m. ET on Fox Nation, and Khamzat Chimaev faces UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler in the co-main event.
What’s at stake
No one holds the middleweight crossover belt yet, so the winner becomes RAF’s first champion at the weight. For Tsarukyan, it is a chance to bounce back from his only RAF loss, to Colby Covington at RAF 11 in July, where Covington took the cruiserweight crossover title. Tsarukyan is 7-1 in the promotion and sits No. 3 in RAF’s first crossover pound-for-pound rankings.
The timing adds a wrinkle. Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 and then went after lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, saying at the post-fight press conference, “He never says my name, so he’s scared.” RAF still has him booked twice, with a catchweight match against Neiman Gracie at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14.
The case for each fighter
Tsarukyan, 30, has wins over Urijah Faber, Tony Ferguson, Lance Palmer and Georgio Poullas in RAF. He is the far more proven wrestler and the clear favorite on paper, though RAF has not published odds.
Danis, 33, is 0-2 in RAF. Covington beat him 14-4 at RAF 07 in March, and Chimaev shut him out 10-0 at RAF 10 in June. He also withdrew roughly 48 hours before his August 29 MMA fight with Mike Perry after an arm laceration. The title fight was first set for October 3 and moved to October 23, and no public reason has been confirmed.
The rest of the card
Chimaev, the former UFC middleweight champion, is 3-0 in RAF and meets Lawler in a catchweight crossover match. Lawler, 44, last fought in 2023 and is making his RAF debut. He was an all-state high school wrestler in Iowa. Chimaev’s next match is a cruiserweight title bout with Covington on November 14, so Friday is a tune-up with real stakes.
Lucia Yepez defends against Sarah Hildebrandt at strawweight, and Ridge Lovett faces Jordan Oliver for the lightweight championship. Jordan Burroughs and Vito Arujau also compete.
Full fight card
| Bout | Division | Card |
|---|---|---|
| Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dillon Danis | Middleweight crossover | Main event, title |
| Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robbie Lawler | Catchweight crossover | Co-main event |
| Lucia Yepez vs. Sarah Hildebrandt | Strawweight | Title |
| Ridge Lovett vs. Jordan Oliver | Lightweight | Title |
| Sebastian Rivera vs. Vito Arujau | Featherweight | Main card |
| Jordan Burroughs vs. Michael Caliendo | Middleweight | Main card |
| Yonger Bastida vs. Zach Elam | Heavyweight | Main card |
| Mekhi Lewis vs. Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov | Cruiserweight | Main card |
| Bella Mir vs. Hope Chase | Middleweight | Main card |
| Pat Downey vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov | Catchweight crossover | Main card |
| Brendan Allen vs. Alexander Shlemenko | Cruiserweight crossover | Main card |
| Juan Archuleta vs. Dylan Ragusin | Featherweight | Main card |
The lineup reflects RAF’s listing as of October 21, and bout order may change.
How to watch
RAF 14 starts at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, October 23, and streams live on Fox Nation. RAF also lists a 9 p.m. ET showing at AMC Theatres.