Overview
- RAF announced Tuesday that Bo Nickal is set to wrestle 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shirvani Muradov at RAF Moscow on Sept. 5, 2026.
- Nickal is already scheduled to compete at RAF 12 in Cleveland on Aug. 22 against 2026 NCAA champion Max McEnelly before turning around for the Moscow fight.
- RAF lists Muradov at 41 and Nickal at 30, highlighting a wide age and experience gap between the Olympic freestyle veteran and the active UFC middleweight contender.
- RAF Moscow is headlined by Khamzat Chimaev vs. Tyron Woodley and will stream in the U.S. on Fox Nation, with additional international broadcast details pending.
- The quick Cleveland-to-Moscow turnaround raises questions about fighter recovery and contingency planning while reflecting RAF’s strategy of stacking recognizable wrestling and MMA names to grow overseas reach.