Arman Tsarukyan and Colby Covington are set to collide tonight for RAF’s inaugural crossover championship, but the real shocker? Former MMA champion and Olympic wrestling legend Ben Askren is making an unlikely return after undergoing a harrowing double lung transplant in 2025, an ordeal where he nearly lost his life.
Two Unbeatens Square Off For Crossover Gold
This isn’t just any wrestling match, folks. We’re talking about Real American Freestyle, bringing back their 12-match showcase, pitting freestyle wrestling stars against legit crossover MMA names. The main event features two UFC veterans, Tsarukyan and Covington, who are both straight up UNDEFEATED on the RAF mats in 2026. Tsarukyan is 7-0, Covington is 3-0, making it 10 combined matches without a loss. These guys have been tearing it up against fellow MMA vets, with Tsarukyan even logging an 11-0 tech fall win over Kuat Khamitov last week in Georgia. This inaugural crossover championship belt? It’s literally designed for the promotion’s MMA-based talent.
The Unbelievable Return of Ben Askren
And if that wasn’t enough drama, how about Ben Askren? The dude nearly died before that double lung transplant last year. Now he’s back, stepping into a cruiserweight matchup against his former teammate and UFC champion Belal Muhammad. Talk about heart, right? Plus, on the undercard, Lucia Lepez and Felicity Taylor are battling it out for the RAF women’s strawweight championship, so there’s plenty of hardware on the line.
It all goes down tonight, Saturday, July 18, 2026, from the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Catch all 12 matches, including Tsarukyan versus Covington and Askren’s incredible return, live on FOX Nation starting at 8 p.m. ET. You won’t want to miss a second of this action.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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