Stephen Buchanan vs Givi Matcharashvili: Always Ready, Always Game

Stephen Buchanan and Givi Matcharashvili quietly have two of the most stacked resumes in RAF. Buchanan, the four-time All American and Iowa Hawkeye National Champion and Matcharashvili, the European champion and Olympic silver medalist, both have accomplished enough in the sport to wait to be slotted into an RAF match but that’s not their style.

In addition to everything he’s accomplished outside of the promotion Buchanan made his RAF debut at RAF 05 where he was scheduled to take on Pat Downey before a last minute opponent switch put him head to head against Yoel Romero.

Romero, coming off an 11-0 tech fall of Pat Downey, was sneakily one of the worst draws in RAF. Buchanan must’ve missed the memo because when it came time to toe the line, Romero had nothing for the National Champion and Buchanan won by the score of 10-0 in less than two periods.

With Buchanan’s domination over the title challenger, Romero, at RAF 05, he had made a case that he could be next in line for a shot at an RAF title.

Matcharashvili has made waves overseas for years and put himself well into the world spotlight in the 2024 Olympics where he would cruise to the gold medal match falling only to fellow RAF standout, Akhmed Tazhudinov.

Freshly entering his physical prime, Matcharashvili is going to be as dangerous as he’s ever been and every wrestler is well aware of it. He’s already one of the most feared competitors in freestyle wrestling and he’s still putting it on the line to take on heavyweight title dark horse Buchanan.

As RAF fans have seen, when Buchanan commits to scoring he’s often successful. He has one of the most efficient offensive outputs in the sport and rarely comes up empty-handed when presented with an opening.

He’s not often in dangerous scrambles and as a result, has control of the match from open to close. He’s one of the few men who won’t feel the need to over-respect Matcharashvili’s mat presence.

As previously mentioned, Matcharashvili is known for his relentless control of pace, positioning and engagement. The match goes where he wants, when he wants it to. As a result, opponents often find themselves waiting for Matcharashvili to make a move where they can hope to score low-percentage, risky points and often come up short.

Complementing this trap he gets opponents into is Matcharashvili’s ability to turn defense into offense. His ability to capitalize on errant shots and hail mary efforts makes him one of the most well-rounded competitors in the division.

Both men’s strengths stack up evenly and it will come down to which man wants it most. Both men have the tools to win and all the proof in the world that they’re ready for a shot at the throne but they have a tall mountain to climb before they reach that point and the Tempe crowd is in for a treat.

Will Buchanan remain perfect in the division or will Matcharashvili make the perfect debut splash? Find out Saturday, February 28 ONLY on Fox Nation!