Overview
- RAF 09, which takes place Saturday at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, is headlined by Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson against former UFC heavyweight Alexandr Romanov.
- The event will stream live exclusively on Fox Nation in the U.S. with RAF providing international access on its YouTube channel in some regions.
- The 11-fight card includes multiple ex- and current-UFC names, a co-main of Colby Covington vs. Chris Weidman, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Frankie Edgar, and a light heavyweight title defense from Kyle Snyder against Givi Matcharashvili.
- RAF uses a condensed ruleset of three two-minute rounds with 30-second breaks and a tie-break system that favors the wrestler who scored last to encourage fast, decisive action.
- Putting an Olympic champion on a card stacked with MMA veterans aims to raise RAF’s profile and gives fighters crossover exposure while boosting interest in Steveson ahead of his planned MMA debut.