Things got out of hand at RAF06, to put it mildly.
Arman Tsarukyan blew a gasket and initiated a mat-splattering brawl last month in Tempe after enduring multiple fouls from celebrity wrestler Georgio Poullas. “Ahalkalakets” picked up the victory; however, RAF officials believe there’s enough unfinished business to warrant an immediate rematch.
Tsarukyan and Poullas are set to headline RAF07 this weekend in Tampa.
“I know RAF, we’ve talked about this, there’s going to be extra security,” former UFC
welterweight and current RAF ambassador, Ben Askren, told MMA Fighting. “We cannot let what happened last time, the chaotic fight, we can’t let that happen. We’ve got to keep it under control. I know the referees are going to be coached up and the athletes ‘here’s what’s legal, here’s what’s illegal.’ We’re going to call it the way it should be called. Hand jamming to the face is not allowed in international wrestling. You can’t do that. So that is a caution and a penalty. You get three cautions, the match is over and you’re disqualified.”
Askren, 41, was originally signed to compete on the RAF mats; however, a life-threatening medical issue brought a hasty end to his wrestling career. “Funky” has since transitioned to a behind-the-scenes role which includes matchmaking and commentating, among other duties.
“We’re going to have a wrestling match that is refereed by the rules,” Askren continued. “It’s not going to be loose anymore. We are going to call it. We’re going to have extra security. This will not get out of hand. There will not be another brawl. Does one of them get disqualified? I can’t tell you on that one. If they do want to abide by the rules of freestyle wrestling, that might happen. I’m not sure. But it will be tighter than the last time.”
They’ll probably need it for the Colby Covington vs. Dillon Danis co-main event.
“I will say the referees will be instructed to hold this one a little tighter,” Askren said. “Because we know Colby generally wrestles by the rules, and he is the one who is the veteran, he should be the favorite and he should wrestle by the rules. Can you see Dillon Danis getting out of pocket? A 1,000 percent. So I think we just need a referee who is really going to make them abide by the rules of the thing and we need make extra, extra clear here’s the rules, here’s how it’s going to go down and if you don’t want to do a real wrestling match, then this is a real wrestling match and you’ll be disqualified.”
Danis doesn’t seem like the type who would care about a DQ finish, based on his record.
