Tyron Woodley is heading again to his wrestling base, and this time the transfer comes with a brand new stage. Actual American Freestyle has booked the previous UFC welterweight champion to face Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12 on August 22 in Cleveland, marking Woodley’s skilled wrestling debut on the promotion’s anniversary occasion card.
Former UFC Champion Tyron Woodley to Face Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12
Woodley has a wealthy wrestling historical past. Earlier than his UFC title run, he constructed a powerful school resume at Missouri, the place he received this system’s first Massive 12 title in 2003 and earned NCAA Division I All-American honors in 2003 and 2005. In MMA, he later reached the highest of the UFC welterweight division and logged 4 profitable title defenses throughout his championship stretch from 2016 to 2018. A former UFC champion with confirmed wrestling credentials returning to the mat in opposition to a present UFC title in Buckley.
The matchup itself has been listed for RAF 12 in Cleveland, with the occasion web page confirming the date and site as August 22, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. Studies tied to the announcement describe the Woodley-Buckley contest as a catchweight bout and place it on the identical Cleveland card that RAF is constant to construct and may be watched on Fox Nation.
Joaquin Buckley is a UFC welterweight from St. Louis who turned professional in 2014 and constructed his title as an explosive finisher earlier than reaching the promotion in 2020. He dropped his UFC debut in opposition to Kevin Holland, then broke via two months later with the spinning back-kick knockout of Impa Kasanganay, a end that grew to become one of the crucial replayed stoppages in current UFC historical past. After an uneven stretch at middleweight, Buckley discovered his footing again at 170 kilos, the place he put collectively a powerful run that included a doctor-stoppage win over Colby Covington in December 2024.
Nonetheless, a number of names related to RAF 12 are already in circulation. RAF’s official occasion web page confirms Larry Wheels versus Actual Tarzan for the Cleveland present. Protection printed this month recognized Actual Tarzan as Mike Holston and mentioned that matchup is ready for August 22 in Cleveland. Different updates additionally notes that Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs is connected to the cardboard, although no opponent has been confirmed.
RAF’s summer time schedule provides further context to why this reserving stands out now. See RAF Georgia on July 11 in Tbilisi, headlined by Merab Dvalishvili versus Henry Cejudo, adopted by RAF 11 on July 18 in Milwaukee with Arman Tsarukyan versus Colby Covington. RAF 11 has additionally been linked in exterior listings to a co-main occasion between Ben Askren and Belal Muhammad.
