Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Urijah Faber talked about his enthusiasm for Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling.
When host Ariel Helwani asked what was working for RAF and what the organization’s long-term ceiling might be, Faber pointed to the leadership behind the promotion as the key ingredient to its potential success.
“You’ve got Dana White,” Faber said, beginning to outline the personalities driving the project. “You know, despite how you see him or anyone else sees him, that guy loves the fig ht game, or at least got into this fig ht game because he loves it.”
Faber then referenced White’s early involvement in combat sports to emphasize his passion for the industry.
“He was already managing Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz before he bought the UFC,” he explained. “He was teaching kickboxing. Dana is a fig ht guy. He loves it. He’s passionate about it. He’s also an over-the-top character.”
From there, Faber shifted to another central figure in the organization, highlighting Izzy Martinez.
“That’s Izzy Martinez,” Faber said. “He’s one of the top coaches in the world for wrestling and for MMA at this point. He’s an over-the-top character. He doesn’t take s**t from anybody. He loves wrestling more than anything itself, and he’s a main character.”
He then turned his attention to the business side of the operation, pointing to executive leadership as another critical component.
“Then you take Chad, who’s a super savvy business guy,” Faber said. “He’s had a lot of success in the business world, and he said this is the most excited he’s ever been for any project he’s been on.”
Faber added that the personal connection to the sport also plays a role in the organization’s vision.
“He’s a wrestler himself. His son is heavily involved in wrestling. That’s how this whole thing got started,” he continued. “He understands how to get the financing and how to spend to invest in the longer picture. So all the ingredients are there.”
Faber later broadened the discussion to wrestling’s long-standing fan base and how modern exposure,particularly through social media, has changed the sport’s trajectory.
“In the sport of wrestling, it’s always had its own subculture and its own group of loyal fans and loyal participants and its own stars within the sport,” he said. “No one’s been able to put it on a platform and make it work.”
According to Faber, RAF is attempting to solve that problem by modernizing presentation and embracing digital visibility.
“These guys now, they keep it fast-paced. They do the lights and the action. The wrestlers are stepping up,” he said. “And now with social media, you’re having guys that are wrestling influencers.”
He also pointed to the combat sports conversation, noting how influential voices have long emphasized wrestling’s importance in mixed martial arts.
“The sport is right,” Faber said. “You hear Joe Rogan and anyone talking about wrestling’s role in mixed martial arts, the most important thing of mixed martial arts. The toughest guys in the sport are from a wrestling background.”
With those elements in place, Faber expressed confidence in the promotion’s trajectory.
“So they found the right recipe,” he said. “And I think the sky is the limit.”
When the conversation turned to athlete compensation, Faber was particularly emphatic, describing what he believes is a historic shift in how wrestlers can earn a living.
“The pay is important,” he said. “How many guys have been able to be a wrestling participant and make money from it in the history over the last 100 plus years? None.”
He contrasted that history with what he sees happening now.
“Now, in the last year, all of a sudden, it’s a real thing where you can be a wrestler for a living,” Faber said. “You can make as much as a doctor or a lawyer if you have four or five matches in a year.”
He emphasized just how unprecedented that possibility is within the sport.
“That’s never been heard of,” he said, “and that’s why people are going to be tuning in and there’s going to be a bigger hype and this thing’s going to have a lot of success.”
Faber closed the discussion with a direct message to fans and athletes, urging them to support the emerging promotion.
“Tune in to RAF, guys,” he said. “All you wrestlers, people that love our sport, get behind this because it’s a great thing for combat sport. It’s a great thing for wrestling. It’s a great thing for the athletes that are passion-first combat professionals.”
