Tsarukyan to wrestle Neiman Gracie, Zabit faces Chikadze at RAF Abu Dhabi

Real American Freestyle announced on Thursday, October 8, that Arman Tsarukyan will wrestle Neiman Gracie at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday, November 14. RAF's press release also put Zabit Magomedsharipov against Giga Chikadze on the card. The National reported the bookings the same day, and both matches are listed on RAF's event page.

These are freestyle wrestling matches, not fights: no strikes and no submissions, as MixedMartialArts.com describes RAF's rules. The event is at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, starting at 8 p.m. local time and streaming on Fox Nation.

Kyle Dake and Kennedy Blades defend RAF titles against Alp Arslan Begenjov and Bella Mir. Jordan Burroughs faces Azamat Nurykau. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington remains the main event.

Tsarukyan's busy autumn

Tsarukyan is 24-3 in MMA and ranked No. 2 at lightweight behind Ilia Topuria in the UFC rankings updated October 3. RAF's release calls him the top-ranked contender, but the UFC's own list doesn't. He knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with elbows at 4:56 of the first round at UFC 331 on September 19, CBS Sports reported. That made six UFC wins in a row.

He closed at −303 against Ruffy. He has been a profitable favourite. He won nine of his 10 UFC fights with odds since 2021, and backing him at the closing price returned 1.55 units, about 16% a fight.

He has wrestled eight times for RAF this year, going 7-1 according to Wikipedia, with five wins by technical fall. The only loss was 5-3 to Covington in July. He told MMA Junkie his clinch and double-leg are now "way better than before," as quoted by MMA Sucka.

Before Abu Dhabi, he headlines RAF 14 against Dillon Danis on October 23 in Las Vegas. He has no UFC fight booked.

Sportaran reported on September 23 that he carries a 45-day California medical suspension from UFC 331. That would run to early November, covering RAF 14 but ending before Abu Dhabi. We found no statement from RAF on whether it applies to a wrestling match.

Gracie, 13-6 in MMA with WSOF, Bellator and PFL, is a fourth-generation member of the family. His first RAF match, in Moscow on September 5, ended in an 11-3 loss to UFC striker Shara Magomedov, per FloWrestling. We think Tsarukyan is a clear favourite here. Gracie's game is jiu-jitsu, and under points wrestling rules a striker beat him comfortably last month.

Zabit's return

Zabit's return first surfaced on Tuesday, October 6, when ESPN's Brett Okamoto reported a multi-fight RAF deal, according to Sherdog. RAF then confirmed the signing and the Chikadze match on X, as quoted by EssentiallySports. EssentiallySports reports a four-fight deal, while Okamoto and Zabit's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, have said only "multi-fight."

He went 6-0 in the UFC and last fought in November 2019, beating Calvin Kattar. Health problems kept him out, and he told the UFC in 2022 he was retiring. In August he spoke about grappling instead: "I'm afraid I'm a bit old for MMA at this point," he told Red Corner MMA, via EssentiallySports.

Chikadze, 38 and a former Glory kickboxer, has lost four UFC fights in a row. The latest was a first-round knockout by Joanderson Brito on the same UFC 331 card. He was the underdog each time, at +340 against Brito, and backing him in his nine UFC fights with odds would have lost 1.58 units.

None of those prices apply to a wrestling match. Zabit started freestyle wrestling at 11, according to Wikipedia. In August he beat Youssef Zalal by unanimous decision in a grappling match at ACBJJ 22, per Sherdog. We think Zabit is a clear favourite: he has a freestyle base and a grappling win two months ago, and Chikadze's base is kickboxing.