Merab Dvalishvili To Make His RAF Debut
Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili will make his Real American Freestyle (RAF) debut on April 18.
The event, RAF 8, will take place at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, subject to an opponent being announced. Dvalishvili’s move to freestyle wrestling comes after he lost his UFC Bantamweight Title last December to Petr Yan in their rematch at UFC 323. Merab lost a unanimous decision, which ended his 14-fight winning streak. While Dvalishvili expects to face Yan in a trilogy once the latter recovers from back surgery, RAF is his focus for now.
“Philadelphia is a fight city, and RAF belongs on the biggest stages. Merab is elite, relentless, and rooted in wrestling. When athletes of his caliber step onto the RAF stage, it reinforces what this league represents — the professional home for the sport’s best,” Chad Bronstein (RAF CEO) said