Overview
- RAF confirmed Thursday that Tsarukyan will wrestle former interim UFC champion Tony Ferguson on June 13 at RAF 10 in St. Louis, with the event streaming on Fox Nation.
- Tsarukyan is already slated to meet influencer wrestler Keelon “Mugzy” Jimison at RAF 09 on May 30 in Arlington, Texas, setting up two matches in roughly two weeks.
- The No. 2-ranked UFC lightweight has gone 4-0 in RAF in 2026 and most recently beat Urijah Faber by technical fall at RAF 08 after a sequence where he carried Faber off the stage drew widespread criticism.
- Merab Dvalishvili said he declined a late offer to face Tsarukyan after Henry Cejudo withdrew from RAF 08, citing a two-weight-class size gap and disappointment over the Faber incident, and he is now booked to face Frankie Edgar at RAF 09.
- Tsarukyan has argued on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast that the UFC rewards drama and viral moments, even as RAF accelerates its crossover strategy by adding current and former UFC names while he stays active outside the Octagon.