Real American Freestyle (RAF) has signed a five-year partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and the UAE Wrestling Federation to bring RAF events to Abu Dhabi.
The partnership will begin on November 14 at Etihad Arena, with global combat sports star Khamzat Chimaev headlining RAF’s first event in the Middle East.
His opponent will be
announced in the coming weeks. Wrestling and combat sports stars including Arman
Tsarukyan, Henry Cejudo, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev
are also scheduled to compete, with their matchups yet to be confirmed.
Fans can register
their interest for the November 14 event through Visit Abu Dhabi ahead of
ticket sales.
RAF Abu Dhabi will be the league’s third international event in its first year, following its international debut in Tbilisi, Georgia, and Moscow, Russia, where it held a sold-out event in September.
The five-year agreement makes Abu Dhabi part of
RAF’s expanding international calendar as the league seeks to develop a global
professional wrestling platform.
“From day one, our
ambition has been to bring RAF to the world’s great sports markets, and there
is no better place for this next chapter than Abu Dhabi,” said Chad Bronstein,
CEO and Co-Founder of RAF. “Abu Dhabi is one of the premier destinations for combat
sports, with the vision and infrastructure to deliver events that resonate
globally. This five-year partnership gives us the opportunity to make RAF Abu
Dhabi a signature event and build something meaningful for athletes, fans and
the region for years to come.”
Sheikh Hamdan bin
Saeed bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Secretary General of the UAE Wrestling Federation,
said: “This five-year partnership marks an important step in the continued
growth of wrestling in the UAE. Bringing world-class athletes and international
events to Abu Dhabi will not only strengthen the country’s position on the
global wrestling stage, but also inspire the next generation of athletes and
support the long-term development of the sport. We look forward to working with
Real American Freestyle and DCT Abu Dhabi to build a lasting platform for
wrestling in the UAE and create meaningful opportunities for athletes and
fans.”
Saleh Al
Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Abu Dhabi has
established a strong reputation as a global destination for major sporting
events, and we are pleased to welcome Real American Freestyle as a new addition
to our world class events calendar. This five-year partnership reflects our
ambition to bring more high-profile sporting properties to the emirate while
giving fans in Abu Dhabi and visitors from around the world the opportunity to
experience elite combat sports in a world-class setting. We look forward to
building on this partnership and making RAF Abu Dhabi a fixture on our sporting
calendar.”
Chimaev, a naturalised
UAE citizen who represents the country internationally, has become one of RAF’s
prominent stars and will headline the Abu Dhabi debut.
The partnership comes as RAF enters its second year after returning to Cleveland for RAF12, marking its one-year anniversary and largest event to date.
Since its launch, the
league has expanded into a year-round platform, staging sold-out events,
building a roster of Olympic and world champions and combat sports athletes,
launching RAF NEXT GEN and increasing its international presence.
The Abu Dhabi event will feature a full card of Olympic champions, world champions, NCAA wrestlers and crossover athletes from wrestling and MMA.
Further matchups, ticketing,
event-week programming and broadcast details will be announced in the coming weeks. -TradeArabia News Service