Arman Tsarukyan will put his new RAF middleweight crossover championship on the line against former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in the main event of RAF 15 on Saturday, Nov. 28 at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Real American Freestyle announced the title match Tuesday, four days after Tsarukyan won the belt in Las Vegas.
The change bumps Henry Cejudo’s lightweight crossover title match against Song Yadong to the co-main event, less than a week after RAF had announced it as the headliner. RAF 15 starts at 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. ET) and streams on Fox Nation.
Pettis was originally set to make his RAF debut in a third meeting with Donald Cerrone on the same card. That match is gone, and MMA Fighting reports Cerrone is now off the event entirely.
Tsarukyan’s Busy November
Tsarukyan won the inaugural middleweight crossover title at RAF 14 on Oct. 23, beating Dillon Danis by 10-0 technical fall just 78 seconds into the first period at the Fontainebleau. The win moved him to 8-1 in RAF, with his lone loss coming against Colby Covington at RAF 11 in July.
It didn’t end quietly. As Danis tried to get up after the match, Tsarukyan stepped on his chest and security flooded the mat. Jon Jones mocked Danis on Instagram after the loss.
The new champion won’t get much rest. MMA Fighting confirmed Tsarukyan is still booked against Neiman Gracie in a non-title catchweight crossover match at RAF Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14, two weeks before he defends the belt in Illinois. He’s also coming off a first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in September.
Pettis Walks Into Unfamiliar Territory
Pettis has never competed in freestyle wrestling. His last outing in any combat sport came in July 2024, when he lost a decision to Chris Avila in a boxing match under Nate Diaz’s Real Fight Inc. banner.
His schedule is filling up fast. Pettis is also booked to box Neeraj Goyat in India on Jan. 23, 2027, and he tied that fight to his brother Sergio’s March 2025 loss in Hyderabad when it was announced. “This one is for him, and I am coming to win,” Pettis said.
Sergio Pettis will be in Illinois too, wrestling former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt on the same card.
RAF 15 Lineup
- Arman Tsarukyan (c) vs. Anthony Pettis, middleweight crossover title
- Henry Cejudo (c) vs. Song Yadong, lightweight crossover title
- Cayden Henschel vs. Conor Beebe, featherweight crossover title
- Geno Petriashvili vs. Yonger Bastida, heavyweight No. 1 contender match
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Clay Guida
- Sergio Pettis vs. Cody Garbrandt
- Roman Bravo-Young vs. Matt Ramos
- Haley Augello vs. Miranda Maverick
- Danny Sabatello vs. Jacob Schultz
The weekend opens with an RAF Next Gen event on Nov. 27 at the Schaumburg Renaissance Convention Center, and a Fan Zone runs from noon to 2:30 p.m. CST on fight day.
