Arman Tsarukyan will return to the Actual American Freestyle mat because the co-main occasion attraction at RAF 08 in Philadelphia, the place he meets MMA Corridor of Famer Urijah Faber in a light-weight freestyle wrestling showcase on April 18 on the Liacouras Middle.
Arman Tsarukyan vs Urijah Faber
Real American Freestyle officers have tabbed Tsarukyan vs. Faber because the co-headliner for RAF 08, which is branded across the bantamweight conflict between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo. The occasion is scheduled for April 18, 2026, at Temple College’s Liacouras Middle in Philadelphia, with an 8:00 p.m. native begin time and stay streaming on FOX Nation.
Tsarukyan enters Philadelphia in the course of a packed aggressive calendar that now consists of 4 straight RAF appearances. The 29-year-old is the No. 2-ranked UFC light-weight and a top-15 title on the promotion’s pound-for-pound checklist, and he has handled the freestyle league as an energetic aspect monitor whereas staying in place as an alternate for the June UFC light-weight title struggle between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje on the White Home card.
Urijah Faber, 46, brings his personal legacy as a former WEC champion and UFC Corridor of Famer, coming off a technical-fall loss to Cejudo in his RAF debut at RAF 6 in February.
Tsarukyan’s slate in Actual American Freestyle started at RAF 5 in January, when he routed former PFL champion Lance Palmer by technical fall, 10–0 within the first interval. He then circled for RAF 6 on February 28 in Tempe, the place he outpointed Georgio Poullas in a heated match that ended 5–3 and have become one of many focal speaking factors from the cardboard. Lower than a month later, at RAF 7 in Tampa, Tsarukyan ran again the Poullas matchup and pulled away with a 9–3 win after a late takedown, pushing his RAF file to three–0 heading into Philadelphia.
Faber’s path into this co-main slot runs by way of Cejudo. RAF 6 in Tempe featured an Olympic champion vs. MMA pioneer headline pairing, the place Cejudo stopped Faber underneath freestyle guidelines and arrange his personal momentum heading into the Merab matchup at RAF 08. For Faber, RAF 08 gives an opportunity to rebound on an enormous stage in opposition to a contender who is working close to the highest of the UFC light-weight division whereas logging further mat time in one other promotion.
The co-main reserving compelled a shift decrease on the lineup, with Cayden Henschel transferring off the initially slated assembly with Faber and as an alternative drawing Lance Palmer in a light-weight bout. Henschel has already constructed a small however busy RAF résumé, together with wins over veteran Clay Guida at RAF 3 in November 2025 and a January outing in opposition to Bo Bassett at RAF 5, the place he earned an 11–0 end result over Guida and a 14–4 scoreline in opposition to Bassett. Palmer, in the meantime, is seeking to bounce again from the lopsided technical-fall defeat in opposition to Tsarukyan at RAF 5 in Dawn, Florida.
RAF 08
RAF 08 is headlined by Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo in a bantamweight essential occasion, marking Dvalishvili’s promotional debut after a future in MMA that turned him right into a prime bantamweight contender. Cejudo steps into that slot already entrenched as one in all RAF’s central figures due to his win over Faber and his profile as a former UFC two-division champion and Olympic gold medalist.
The promotion has introduced that RAF 08 will function a multi-fight lineup, with the Liacouras Middle changing into the newest main enviornment to host the league because it pushes into new markets. Past Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo, Tsarukyan vs. Faber and Henschel vs. Palmer, extra matchups are anticipated to fill out the undercard, with Actual American Freestyle signalling extra bulletins within the lead-up to April 18.
