Arman Tsarukyan is staying busy on the wrestling mats. The UFC lightweight contender will return to Real American Freestyle action at RAF 14, where he is scheduled to face Dillon Danis for the promotion’s middleweight crossover championship. This comes despite Danis never winning a match in the promotion. The matchup is set for Oct. 3 at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
Tsarukyan Continues Busy RAF Run
Tsarukyan has quickly become one of RAF’s most active competitors since joining the promotion in 2026. The Armenian has already competed eight times this year and will make his ninth appearance when he faces Danis. Along the way, he has picked up victories over Lance Palmer, Georgio Poullas twice, Urijah Faber, Keelon Jimison, Tony Ferguson and Kuat Khamitov.
His only RAF defeat came against former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington at RAF 11.
Tsarukyan will have another major assignment before returning to the wrestling mats. He is scheduled to fight Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331, marking his first MMA appearance since submitting Dan Hooker in November.
Danis Looking to Change His RAF Fortune
Danis enters the matchup searching for his first RAF victory. The former Bellator fighter has competed twice for the promotion this year and has come up short on both occasions. Covington defeated him in March before former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev handed him another loss in June.
Danis will also have an MMA fight before his meeting with Tsarukyan. He is scheduled to headline Duel Arena 1 against Mike Perry on Aug. 29 in Orlando, Florida. That fight will give Danis another opportunity to build momentum before returning to the RAF mats.
With Tsarukyan riding a strong run of wrestling victories and Danis still searching for his first RAF win, their middleweight championship clash brings plenty of intrigue to RAF 14.