Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dillon Danis Set for RAF 14 Title Match in Las Vegas
Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis are getting a second chance to meet, this time with a championship on the line. The UFC lightweight contender and grappling specialist will wrestle for the inaugural RAF Middleweight Crossover Championship at RAF 14 on October 3 in Las Vegas.
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dillon Danis in RAF
Real American Freestyle confirmed the matchup for its event at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, with the card set to air on Fox Nation. The bout puts two familiar combat-sports names on the RAF mats rather than in an MMA cage, meaning strikes and standard MMA submissions will not be part of the format.
Tsarukyan has become one of RAF’s busiest crossover athletes in 2026. RAF 14 will mark his ninth appearance for the promotion. He entered his July meeting with Colby Covington at 7-0, but Covington edged him 5-3 in their Cruiserweight Crossover Championship contest at RAF 11, handing Tsarukyan his first RAF defeat.
Danis arrives seeking his first win under the RAF banner. He lost a 14-4 technical fall to Covington at RAF 07 in March, then was defeated by Khamzat Chimaev at RAF 10 in June. Chimaev secured a fall early in that contest, which later drew attention after a post-match confrontation between the two camps. Danis is now 0-2 in RAF competition, though the October booking gives him a direct route to a title in his third appearance.
The matchup restores a contest that appeared headed for Brazil earlier this year. Tsarukyan and Danis were announced for a 10-minute, submission-only Hype FC grappling championship match on April 8 in Sao Paulo. Tsarukyan was scheduled to defend the title he won when he submitted Muhammad Mokaev with a rear-naked choke in March.
That April bout never happened. Hype FC removed promotional posts for Tsarukyan vs. Danis and replaced the planned main event with Jean Silva vs. Marlon Vera. No public reason was given for the change. Tsarukyan instead competed in RAF, while the Danis fight remained unfinished business.
The setting has changed from a submission-only grappling match to a RAF wrestling title bout, and so has the backdrop. Tsarukyan brings a long run of competitive mat appearances and a UFC return scheduled against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on September 19, just two weeks before RAF 14.
