Luke Rockhold is heading back to the Real American Freestyle mats.
The former UFC middleweight champion will take on current UFC contender Joe Pyfer in a catchweight wrestling match at RAF 13 on September 19. The event is scheduled for the Watsco Center in Miami.
The matchup gives Rockhold another chance to test himself in wrestling after making his RAF debut earlier this year.
Rockhold Returns to RAF
Rockhold competed at RAF 5 in January, facing Colby Covington in his first appearance for the promotion.
The former UFC champion was unable to get past Covington, losing by technical fall.
Rockhold has some wrestling experience dating back to his school and community college days. However, wrestling was never the centerpiece of his combat sports career.
He eventually moved into grappling and MMA, becoming one of the sport’s top middleweights. Rockhold retired from MMA in 2022 and has since explored several combat sports outside the cage.
Now, he will return to RAF looking to pick up his first win on the mats.
Pyfer Makes His RAF Debut
Pyfer brings a much more active MMA résumé into the matchup.
The 29-year-old currently sits at No. 9 in MMA Fighting’s global middleweight rankings. Like Rockhold, his wrestling experience largely came during his high school years, although he has also competed in professional grappling events.
Pyfer is entering the bout after one of the biggest wins of his career.
At UFC Seattle in March, he stopped former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya by knockout. The victory further established Pyfer as a serious contender at 185 pounds.
Now he will make his first RAF appearance against a former champion who has already experienced the promotion’s unique wrestling format.
Covington vs. Muhammad Headlines RAF 13
Rockhold and Pyfer join an already stacked RAF 13 lineup.
The event is expected to be headlined by a cruiserweight crossover championship grudge match between Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad.
Rockhold has already shared the RAF mats with Covington, while Pyfer will be experiencing the promotion for the first time.
With two experienced MMA fighters meeting under wrestling rules, their catchweight matchup adds another intriguing piece to RAF’s September card.