RAF 08 Recap: The Bar Has Been Raised

Arman Tsarukuan found a way to give us another viral moment, Kyle Snyder put on one of the greatest come from behind freestyle performances since the Tokyo Olympics, Jason Nolf shut down Father time once again and one of the most feared fighters in MMA history is officially on-roster. RAF08 was a night to remember for combat sports fans worldwide.

From the moment Lucas Byrd and Darian Cruz had the fans on the edge of their seat to Khinch and DiJulius exchanging haymakers, Sharipov landing a room-rattling pinfall, Snyder storming an unforgettable comeback, the RAF08 card gave the Philadelphia crowd everything they had and the Liacouras Center gave just as much back.

Every match and moment felt a little bit bigger at RAF08.

‍Arman Tsarukyan vs Urijah Faber: Stock Keeps Rising

Bumped up to the main event following an injury to Henry Cejudo, the light was a little bit brighter once again for Arman Tsarukyan who rose to the occasion as did his dance partner Urijah Faber.

Tsarukyan is getting pretty comfortable in the main event slot and it showed from the second he took the mat. Just over 30 seconds into the match, takedowns and exposure points had him up 8-0 on the UFC Hall of Famer.

He sacrificed a point when completing a takedown that saw he and Faber well off the mat and off the stage, giving social media something to talk about once again.

It wasn’t long into the third period before Tsarukyan completed the tech fall victory and called out Colby Covington who accepted with a smile declaring the need for a real American to take down the surging star.

‍Kyle Snyder vs Rizabek Aitmukhan: Turn It Up To Ten

Just when we didn’t think the arena could get any louder, Kyle Snyder took the mat.

Looking to silence the crowd by taking out one of the most decorated American wrestlers of all time, Rizabek Aitmukhan seemed to have neutralized Snyder in the first period, taking a 1-0 lead into the second. He seemed to have him completely figured out in the second period when he held a 6-0 lead over the Olympic Gold Medalist.

Just when the door seemed to be slowly closing color commentator Chael Sonnen asserted that just because Snyder was down 6-1 in the final two minutes that didn’t mean it was over and right on cue “Snyderman” completed a quick takedown and never looked back.

The Philadelphia crowd rose to their feet in a refreshed optimism and began the “USA!” chants. In response, Snyder landed another takedown. Watching as Snyder went from down 6-0 to completely in control, the arena hit the apex volume when Snyder tied the match at 6-6. By the time Snyder put three more points on the board, color commentator Kurt Angle declared the match was over. With time left and gas still left in the tank, Snyder continued to pour on the offense even into the final five seconds of the match where he completed his final takedown to win the match 12-6.

Snyder jumped to his feet and gave the crowd back what they had given to him, reciprocating the roaring crowd with a primal scream of his own marking the loudest crowd in RAF history.

Snyder not only took home the win and his belt but very well-deserved Match of the Night honors.

‍Aeoden Sinclair vs Zahid Valencia: Old Dog, Same Tricks

Zahid Valencia had his work cut out for him on the mat and in the stands when he agreed to toe the line against Mizzou Tiger and fan-favorite Aeoden Sinclair. Fresh off his one week turnaround from his All-American Performance at NCAA Nationals to a debut win at RAF 07, Sinclair had the wind at his back and a full month of rest.

Valencia kept things close, closing out the first period with a 1-0 lead following a shot clock point but then ran away with it shortly after.

Sinclair thwarted most of Valencia’s offense but a takedown turned into a gut wrench. A pushout turned into another takedown and Valencia wrapped things up with an 8-2 win before an aggressive callout of Bo Nickal may have set the stage for a future matchup.
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‍Anthony Cassioppi vs Shamil Sharipov: A Dark Horse Emerges

Not one person in the division has ever slept on Anthony Cassioppi and fans even wondered just how far away from a title shot he may have been pending a strong performance over RAF newcomer Shamil Sharipov.

Sharipov scored a 4-0 lead in the opening seconds before fully introducing himself to the weight class with a first period pinfall victory before the end of the first period.

Sharipov put all the heavyweights on notice and gave all the fans somebody else to keep their eye on.

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Helen Maroulis vs Alexis Janiak: Expectations Met

Expectations are high for Helen Maroulis and anybody who agrees to take a match with her. Maroulis isn’t just an Olympic gold medalist, she’s been the gold standard for women’s freestyle wrestling and is out to prove she hasn’t lost a step.

Less than 30 seconds into her title defense she took down Janiak and secured another takedown just before the close of the period.

Considered a “slow start” for the dominant champion, Maroulis poured it on in the second, landing three consecutive takedowns and walking off the mat with a flawless 10-0 tech fall victory.

Maroulis didn’t have any names in mind following the win but happily welcomed anybody who thought they had what it took to take her flyweight belt.

‍Real Woods vs Anthony Ashnault: Woods Bounces Back

Real Woods was on the hunt for a bounce back victory after two last-second losses to Jordan Oliver that saw him lose his title and undefeated RAF record. A match against NCAA Champion Anthony Ashnault to right the ship would be no easy task at all and the first period showed that.

While Woods struck first with a shot clock point, Ashnault completed a takedown in the closing seconds, giving him the 2-1 lead going into the second. Woods tied things up in the second but nobody was jumping off the page yet.

The third period stayed tight for the first minute with Woods scoring another shot clock point giving him a 3-2 advantage. Ashnault fell short on a single leg attack that would have resulted in a takedown against 99% of opponents before a blood time stoppage gave Ashnault a new look and a fresh gas tank for the remaining seconds of the match he was behind in.

With little time left on the clock, Woods capitalized on an aerial attack from Ashnault and was able to close out the match with a 7-2 win.

Both men looked like a handful for the top of the division and made their cases for interesting matchups going forward.

‍Jason Nolf vs Joey Blaze: Nolf Conquers Another Generation

In true Seth Rollins-fashion, Nolf made his way to the match once again by way of the concourse. A man of the people, Nolf high-fived his way to the mat to take on his youngest and toughest RAF test to date in Purdue’s All-American Joey Blaze.

In only six seconds Nolf put points on the board with a pushout point. 30 seconds later he was up 2-1 with another pushout point before Blaze scored a pushout of his own. Nolf did land a takedown before the close of the period but with a score of 4-2 it was still anybody’s match.

Nolf’s defense tightened up and his offense stayed consistent. The Nittany Lion scored a takedown at the one minute mark followed by stepout points and not allowing Blaze to put up any points of his own.

Taking an 8-2 lead into the final period, Nolf landed another takedown in less than a minute and two more pushout points including the final point scored within the final second of the match.

Feeling confident he’s done enough to call for a belt, Nolf is poised to go on a title run at RAF, calling out Dean Hamiti for the middleweight championship.

‍Johnni DiJulius vs Vladimer Khinchegashvili: Khinch’s Birthday Present

Vladimer “Khinch” Khinchegashvili, Johnny DiJulius and the Philadelphia crowd were hoping for a fun matchup and all three parties worked together to make one happen.

Khinch and DiJulius locked horns for almost a period and a half before Khinch started to pull away, closing the second round with a score of 4-1 but DiJulius would come out swinging in the third, scoring a takedown less than 40 seconds in.

Feeling the pressure with the score now 4-3, Khinch struck back with a takedown of his own pushing it to 6-3 but not before DiJulius put himself right back in the action with yet another takedown.

With 36 seconds to go and down only one point, DiJulius threw caution to the wind but with only 9 seconds to go in the match, found himself getting taken down.

Khinch would ultimately win the thrilling match on his birthday by the score of 8-5 and telling anybody who wanted a match with him they could get their shot.

‍Cayden Henschel vs Lance Palmer: Grinding It Out

Folkstyle, freestyle, on the mat, in the cage, D1, D2, Cayden Henschel and Lance Palmer are both wrestlers who deliver exciting matches every time they lace up the shoes.

With shades of his match with Bo Bassett, Henschel landed the first takedown of the match and hung on to close the first period out 2-0. An attempted leg lace was unsuccessful and Henschel hoped the lost offense wouldn’t be the difference in the match.

The second period ended with the same 2-0 score and it was time to turn up the dial for Lance Palmer. 36 seconds into the final frame, Palmer tied the match with a takedown. Now leading with criteria, Palmer was in the driver’s seat for the first time in the match. Sacrificing positioning for offense, Henschel’s last second onslaught cost him a pushout point for Palmer and ultimately the match as well.

Palmer would take the match by the score of 3-2.

‍Jordan Oliver vs Mike VanBrill: Big Match, Big Finish, Big Callout

Jordan Oliver has become one of RAF’s most active athletes and after missing weight in his title rematch against Real Woods, he welcomed Mike VanBrill with open arms.

At the end of the first period Oliver’s shot clock point was the only notched point. The former title challenger opened things up though in the second with a takedown and exposure pushing the score to 5-0 which is how both the second period and the final period would end.

Oliver revealed heated words between him and VanBrill after the match before declaring he’d be moving up a weight class and calling out Zain Retherford and calling it a night.

‍Lucas Byrd vs Darian Cruz: Byrd of Prey Wins Late

The most evenly-matched tilt kicked things off when the most recent National Champion on the card, Lucas Byrd of Illinois took on the 2017 National Champion Darian Cruz of Lehigh. Cruz took a minute and a half to score a shot clock point and a push out point, giving her a 2-0 that carried through the first two periods.

With 90 seconds left in the match, Byrd scored a desperately needed point before the shot clock gave him another point with 40 seconds left.

Knotted up at 2-2, Byrd would take home the criteria win for being the last to score.

‍RAF Surprise Announcement

It wasn’t just the action in the arena that had fans talking at RAF08. Play by Play commentator Shane Sparks could hardly contain himself talking about a surprise announcement coming later in the night.

When the time was ready, the moment delivered.

The newest signee is one of the most feared men in combat sports, Khamzat Chimaev.

We all know his MMA pedigree and his wrestling ability within a cage, we’re now going to get a glimpse at what “Borz” can bring to the freestyle mat. Will we finally see the match with Bo Nickal that’s been teased since Nickal’s Contender Series win?

Not one second was without action at RAF08 and RAF09 is already shaping up to be just as big.

With a handful of matches already announced, including the RAF debut of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, the return of Colby Covington and the most dominant women’s athlete on-roster, the “USA” chants are only going to get louder at RAF09 on May 30.

Relive all of the action on FOX Nation!