Colby Covington (right) - Photo provided by Real American Freestyle
Colby Covington defeats Arman Tsarukyan, Ben Askren retires at RAF 11
Colby Covington hands Arman Tsarukyan first Real American Freestyle loss in RAF 11 main event
Milwaukee, WI (July 18, 2026) – Real American Freestyle (RAF), the new home for the sport’s elite, hosted another stacked wrestling event for Wisconites on Saturday, July 18th. The event sold out the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in downtown Milwaukee for RAF’s biggest gate yet in America, second overall only to last weekend’s Tbilisi showdown. The card featured everyone from American wrestling stars to Olympic medalists and MMA icons, totaling athletes from 8 separate countries.
Notably, Ben Askren laid down his shoes for a final time on the mat in front of his hometown crowd, leaving everyone with a few words following a standing ovation: “I’m gonna treat people well, I’m gonna work my ass off, and I’m going to try and make a difference in this world. I love you guys.”
RAF 11 results:
• The night kicked off with Wisconsin native and Askren Wrestling Academy alumnus Keegan O’Toole winning in what is now his signature comeback fashion, defeating Chris Minto by a score of 14-9
• The match was followed up by a heavyweight showdown between Tony Cassioppi and Egypt’s Mostafa Elders, where Tony came out on top 6-2
• Next match brought us to Pat Downey’s return in a long-awaited matchup versus Zac Braunagel, who confidently breezed through to a 12-2 win in his RAF debut
• Trent Hidlay continued his dominance in RAF in a high-powered attack that shut out Magomedkhan Magomedov for a win via tech-fall
• For the RAF Women’s Cruiserweight division debut, Adeline Gray made her first return to the mat since becoming a mother, defeating Skylar Grote 5-2
• Iowa standout and RAF debutant Mikey Caliendo took down Mirzo Khayitov via points 9-2
• In a match where UFC hall-of-famers finally met, Frankie Edgar stylishly took down Clay Guida, finishing up 9-2
• In another amazing comeback, Armenian standout Arsen Harutyunyan defeated this year’s Big 10 champion Ben Davino, who made his debut tonight. The match finished 6-5
• Lucia Yepez, the reigning RAF Strawweight Champion, continued her untouchable form versus Felicity Taylor to retain the belt, 10-0 final score
• The co-main event brought us to Ben Askren’s return, and farewell match versus Belal Muhammad. After coming out to a 3-0 lead, Belal pulled away for a 4-3 win. Askren laid his shoes down for the final time on the mat as a competitor.
• The night’s blockbuster saw Arman Tsarukyan get handed his first RAF loss by Colby Covington who defended well for a 5-3 victory and the first RAF Crossover Championship
Belal Muhammad confirmed his next participation in RAF, with back-and-forth callouts being exchanged between himself and Colby Covington. Their matchup, for the RAF Crossover Championship, was soon after confirmed as the co-main event for RAF 12 on August 22nd, with a graphic provided by the league here.
RAF 12 is next for Real American Freestyle, and will be the best yet, taking place at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena and marking one year of RAF events. The card will be arguably the most stacked stand-alone wrestling event ever, where Jordan Burroughs will take on Sean Brady as the main card, and standout athletes like Bo Nickal, Max McEnelly, David Carr, Joaquin Buckley, Evan Wick, Jason Nolf, Tyron Woodley, Masanosuke Ono, and Kennedy Blades supporting. The league has seen unmatched growth in that time period, attracting the best of the best across various disciplines and backgrounds. In addition, they have expanded the definition of fan and youth access, with verticals like RAF Next Gen, debuting Sunday, July 19th, and RAF Clubs, alongside the ongoing Fan Zone series.
