Well, this could get messy.
Real American Freestyle (RAF) is scheduled to invade Moscow, Russia
, this weekend (Sat., Sept. 5, 2026), bringing a loaded lineup of American and Russian wrestling stars to VTB Arena.Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions Khamzat Chimaev and Tyron Woodley headline the card, while Olympic gold medalists Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder, three-time NCAA champion Bo Nickal and several other prominent American wrestlers are also scheduled to compete.
There is
just one potentially enormous problem: the event may violate United States sanctions against Russia.
According to ESPN, the issue is not simply that an American wrestling promotion is holding an event in Russia. The problem is where RAF is holding it.
VTB Arena is operated by a company connected to BM-Bank and VTB Bank, a Russian financial institution majority-owned by the Russian government. VTB Bank and BM-Bank are both under U.S. sanctions related to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Those sanctions generally prohibit American citizens and companies from making payments or conducting business with the banks—or companies they control—without special permission from the U.S. Treasury Department. In other words, RAF’s agreement to use VTB Arena could itself represent a prohibited business transaction.
Two sanctions experts told ESPN that “the event likely does not qualify for standard exemptions, such as those covering humanitarian work or journalism. RAF could have applied for a special government license, but the promotion declined to reveal whether it requested or received one.”
RAF CEO Chad Bronstein said the promotion is “committed to operating in full compliance” with all applicable laws and is working with independent sanctions attorneys.
The broadcast situation has also become confusing. After ESPN began asking questions, a Fox News spokesperson said Fox Nation would not stream the Moscow event. However, RAF’s official website currently directs viewers to Fox Nation, and the streaming service is once again advertised as the card’s U.S. broadcaster.
As of this writing, RAF Moscow remains scheduled to proceed.
To be clear, the U.S. government has not publicly ruled that RAF broke the law. ESPN’s report argues that the promotion likely violated sanctions unless it quietly received special federal approval.
For more RAF news and notes click here.
