Kazakh UFC fighter Asu Almabaev will face American Johnny DiJulius in a wrestling match under the Real American Freestyle (RAF) league. The bout will take place on August 22 in Cleveland at the RAF12 event. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
A post on RAF's Instagram stated: "Home match for DiJulius. Johnny DiJulius will meet Asu Almabaev on August 22 in Cleveland at RAF12."
Almabaev competes in the UFC flyweight division and is ranked seventh in the division. In his last fight, the Kazakh defeated Charles Johnson at the UFC event in Baku, submitting him with a Suloev stretch in the third round.
For Almabaev, this will be a bout under freestyle wrestling rules, not MMA. His opponent is professional wrestler Johnny DiJulius. During his college career, he wrestled for Ohio State, amassing 115 wins against 47 losses, qualified for the NCAA championships four times, and won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational at 60 kg. DiJulius currently works as an assistant coach for the Cleveland State wrestling team.
RAF12 will take place on August 22. The main event features Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs against UFC fighter Sean Brady. In the co-main event, former UFC champions Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad will meet on the mat.
RAF, or Real American Freestyle, is an American professional wrestling league. The organization hosts matches featuring Olympic champions, top wrestlers, and well-known mixed martial artists.