Real American Freestyle held its post-event press conference following RAF 08 in Philadelphia. Co-founders Chad, Izzy, and executive Eric Bischoff sat alongside Kyle Snyder and Arman Tsarukyan.
The night’s biggest announcement was that Khamzat Chimaev has officially joined the RAF roster.
Chad explained how the deal came together, emphasizing Chimaev’s long-standing love for wrestling. “When Izzy and I are doing matches, we work with his manager and Chimaev just loves wrestling and they reached out to me and Izzy and wanted to do this,” he said. “Eric flew to LA and we recorded that package, but you know he loves wrestling, wants to get back to it and Snyder could be someone that he eventually wrestles here.”
Kyle Snyder, who retained his title with a dramatic comeback win on the night, was asked about the possibility of facing Chimaev and whether the two could meet in 2026. Snyder was measured but open to the matchup.
“I think give him a couple matches first, you know,” he said. “He’s got to, not that he’s got to earn the spot, but just for his own benefit, just having a couple wrestling matches underneath of him will be good. And then if he ever wants to compete against me, I mean, I’m always ready, so anytime.”
Beyond the Chimaev announcement, the press conference touched on the promotion’s continued growth. Philadelphia broke RAF’s ticketing records, and the atmosphere drew comparisons to some of the most passionate wrestling crowds worldwide.
“I’ve traveled to Dagestan, Russia, Iran, Ukraine, Turkey, all over the world to the greatest wrestling arenas, and the crowd here in Philadelphia was one of the most electric wrestling crowds I’ve ever seen in my life,” Snyder said.
A tense post-match moment involving Arman Tsarukyan also became a talking point. His confrontation with a journalist that led to the reporter being escorted off the stage sparked mixed reactions among those on the panel.
Chad admitted he was not a fan of the incident, while Bischoff suggested the promotion often finds itself at the center of viral moments when Tsarukyan competes. Tsarukyan himself was candid about his mindset in competition.
“When I’m competing, I don’t control myself so much,” he said. “If something happened, it’s not like I was thinking about it. It’s like something happened from my mind, you know, comes right away.”
RAF officials also confirmed the promotion’s next card in Dallas on May 30, where Snyder is scheduled to face Georgian Olympic silver medalist Givi Matcharashvili. Tsarukyan will take on Colby in what both camps are treating as a major matchup, and Tsarukyan made his intentions clear.
“I’m looking for a 10 and 0 and I want to dominate him,” he said. “Against Colby I’m going to go hard and trying to make it 10 and 0 first round.”
