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Real American Freestyle’s RAF05 Kicks Off with Rockhold vs. Covington Faceoff and Press Conference at Amerant Bank Arena
Sunrise, FL – Real American Freestyle’s RAF05 kicked off at the Amerant Bank Arena yesterday afternoon with an exciting opening press conference that gave fans a taste of the passion athletes are bringing – as they prepare to make history tonight at Amerant Bank Arena. Those watching and in attendance had the opportunity to hear from and interview all wrestlers on the fight card, as well as league founders Chad Bronstein and Israel Martinez.
“I don't think anybody expected me to be there, even at the last press conference, right? Everybody picked Real, but just knowing my style, knowing my skill set, I knew the belt was coming home with me,” said Jordan Oliver. “I got the call for the rematch, and I accepted it right away, so you can say one time’s a fluke, two times permanent, right? After the second time I'm telling [Real] to get in the back of the line, work his way back up.”
“I'm a big fan of the community here with RAF. I can't tell you what's in the future yet or not, but I have a feeling you guys are going to see me making more than just one appearance at the RAF events,” said Giorgio Poullas. “There are some big names that I wanted my shot at for sure.”
I'm really excited to be competing, just getting an opportunity to do that…and now we're on a massive stage, people watching from all over the world,” said Kyle Dake. “It's something that's really exciting, and it's different. This isn't just like a little high school mat anymore, and this is something that's really big and really exciting. My kids are looking forward to in the future.”
“I hope everybody is wrestling to the top of their ability tomorrow,” said Yoel Romero. “So it's not just about one person, it's about everybody leaving it on the line. I hope [Bo] brings his best tomorrow and…I want to make sure that everybody that comes tomorrow, all the fans, and everybody that's viewing, has a great opportunity to watch the matches and that they see phenomenal wrestling from everybody.”
The press conference was broadcast exclusively on-site at the Amerant Bank Arena by Fox Nation. Event streaming can also be accessed via a free trial on the platform. Content from Real American Freestyle can be seen on Fox Nation’s YouTube Shorts channel, as well as the league’s social media pages.
The main card kicks off today, Saturday, January 10, at Amerant Bank Arena (1 Panther Pkwy, Sunrise, FL 33323) at 8 PM ET. The fight bout is below:
Keelon ‘Mugzy’ Jimison vs. Georgio Poullas (Open)
Pat Lugo vs. Johnni DiJulius (Featherweight)
Mostafa Elders vs. Steve Mocco (Heavyweight)
Pat Downey vs. Stephen Buchanan (Light Heavyweight)
Bo Bassett vs. Cayden Henschel (Featherweight)
Nathan Tomasello vs. Austin DeSanto (Bantamweight Championship Match)
Zahid Valencia vs. Nate Jackson (Cruiserweight)
Jordan Oliver vs. Real Woods (Featherweight Championship Match)
Kyle Dake vs. Magomedkhabib “Kadik” Kadimagomedov (Cruiserweight Championship Match)
Lance Palmer vs. Arman Tsarukyan (Lightweight)
Bo Nickal vs. Yoel Romero (Light Heavyweight Championship Match)
Colby Covington vs. Luke Rockhold (Cruiserweight)
The league will additionally host its Fan Zone, also at Amerant Bank Arena (1 Panther Pkwy, Sunrise, FL 33323), with doors opening at 3 PM ET on January 10. Featuring a meet and greet with all athletes between 4-5:30 PM ET, the Fan Zone will also debut special, surprise guests, and will be an opportunity to purchase official merchandise and trading cards, create signs, and more.
Real American Freestyle is a professional freestyle wrestling league founded by Chad Bronstein, Eric Bischoff, Israel Martinez, and the late Hulk Hogan. Supported by Left Lane Capital, the league launched in 2025 with a roster of 40 athletes. Featuring a full slate of events throughout its debut season, Real American Freestyle is focused on freestyle elements of the sport and seeks to provide a platform for athletes to build careers and branding in the space. RAF matchups follow freestyle rules under USA Wrestling standards, with events staged like major fight nights — blending the intensity of Olympic wrestling with the production value of modern combat sports. All matches stream exclusively on FOX Nation. For more information on Real American Freestyle, please visit www.realamericanfreestyle.com.
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