Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 3, 2026

RAF 09

RAF 09: Steveson vs. Romanov was a freestyle wrestling event that took place on May 30, 2026, at the College Park Center of University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas.

Last revised
Jul 3, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
702 w
Citations
20
Source
Wikipedia ↗
RAF 09: Steveson vs. Romanov
Promotional poster for RAF 09
PromotionReal American Freestyle
DateMay 30, 2026
VenueCollege Park Center
CityArlington, Texas
Attendance3.2521
Event chronology
RAF 08: Tsarukyan vs. Faber RAF 09: Steveson vs. Romanov RAF 10: Chimaev vs. Danis

RAF 09: Steveson vs. Romanov was a freestyle wrestling event that took place on May 30, 2026, at the College Park Center of University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas.2

It was the ninth flagship event produced by the Real American Freestyle (RAF) promotion, and aired live on Fox Nation.2

Background

Tickets for the event went on sale through AXS on April 10, 2026.3

This event was originally planned to be held in Bahrain, but was moved due to the 2026 Iran war.4

Commentary for the event's live Fox Nation broadcast was provided by Kurt Angle, Ben Askren, Julianna Peña, Chael Sonnen, and Shane Sparks.5

McKenzie Mitchell debuted during the event as the promotion's new ring announcer.6

Former Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson debuted at this event after signing a multi-match contract with RAF, headlining against Alexander Romanov.72

RAF Women's Middleweight Champion Kennedy Blades was scheduled to defend her title against Alexis Gomez at this event, but the bout was cancelled due to injury.8

Zain Retherford was scheduled to face Ernazar Akmataliev, but Akmataliev withdrew and was replaced by Tömör-Ochiryn Tulga.98 Tulga then also withdrew, and was replaced by Antrell Taylor.10

All competitors favored to win by sportsbooks were victorious in their respective matches.11

Results

Main card (Fox Nation)
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight United States Gable Steveson def. Moldova Alexander Romanov Technical fall (10–0) 2 1:07
Catchweight (200 lbs.) United States Colby Covington def. United States Chris Weidman Decision (5–4) 3 2:00
Light Heavyweight United States Kyle Snyder (c) def. Georgia (country) Givi Matcharashvili Technical fall (10–0) 3 0:41 a
Lightweight Georgia (country) Merab Dvalishvili def. United States Frankie Edgar Technical fall (12–1) 3 1:34
Featherweight United States Real Woods def. Russia Ibragim Ilyasov Pinfall 2 1:01 b
Cruiserweight United States Parker Keckeisen def. Greece Georgios Kougioumtsidis Decision (8–5) 3 2:00
Middleweight United States Jason Nolf def. United States Christopher Minto Decision (10–5) 3 2:00
Lightweight United States Zain Retherford def. United States Antrell Taylor Decision (8–0) 3 2:00 c
Lightweight United States Ridge Lovett def. India Bajrang Punia Decision (13–8) 3 2:00 d
Women's Catchweight (125 lbs.) Ecuador Lucía Yépez def. United States Cameron Guerin Technical fall (10–0) 1 1:48
Middleweight Armenia Arman Tsarukyan def. United States Keelon Jimison Technical fall (16–5) 1 1:56
  1. For the RAF Light Heavyweight Championship.
  2. For the vacant RAF Featherweight Championship.
  3. RAF Lightweight title eliminator.
  4. RAF Lightweight title eliminator.

Source:12

Bonus awards

The following athletes received bonuses.13

  • Match of the Night: Jason Nolf vs. Christopher Minto and Parker Keckeisen vs. Georgios Kougioumtsidis
  • Performance of the Night: Merab Dvalishvili
References

References

  1. "WrestleTix: RAF Real American Freestyle • May 30 College Park Center at Arlington, TX". Wrestlenomics. May 30, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  2. "Olympic Champion Gable Steveson, Chris Weidman to Make Debuts at RAF09 in Dallas, May 30th". USA Wrestling. April 7, 2026. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  3. "Real American Freestyle 09". UTATickets. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  4. Ruth, Daisy (March 24, 2026). "Eric Bischoff Doesn't See WWE Night Of Champions 2026 Taking Place In Saudi Arabia". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  5. Behunin, Alexander (May 25, 2026). "RAF 09 card, start time, date and location". MMA Mania. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  6. Johnson, Mike (May 30, 2026). "PRO WRESTLING PERSONALITY STARTING WITH REAL AMERICAN FREESTYLE TONIGHT". PWInsider. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  7. Al-Shatti, Shaheen (March 25, 2026). "Gable Steveson signs with RAF on multi-match deal, debut set for RAF 9". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  8. Real American Freestyle (May 1, 2026). "RAF09 FULL CARD". Instagram. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  9. "Эрназар Акматалиев подписал контракт с американской лигой RAF". AKIpress News Agency (in Russian). April 15, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  10. Real American Freestyle (May 16, 2026). "CARD UPDATE:Zain Retherford now faces 2025 National Champ Antrell Taylor at RAF09". Instagram. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  11. "RAF 9: Steveson vs. Romanov". Fight Odds. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  12. Riggs, Drake (May 31, 2026). "RAF 9 results: Gable Steveson, Merab Dvalishvili dominate; Arman Tsarukyan vs. Colby Covington set for July". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  13. "RAF09 Event Recap - Raising the Bar Even Higher". Real American Freestyle. May 31, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
External links