RAF has finalized the full card for RAF 14, set for Friday, Oct. 23 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis headline for the inaugural RAF middleweight crossover championship, and Khamzat Chimaev meets former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in a catchweight crossover bout in the co-main. MMA Mania published the complete lineup Monday. The broadcast airs on FOX Nation starting at 8 p.m. ET.
One quirk for the record keepers: the middleweight crossover title fight is listed at 175 pounds. RAF’s divisions don’t line up with UFC weight classes, so don’t go hunting for a cage-world equivalent.
The timing worked out nicely for the promotion. RAF released its first crossover pound-for-pound rankings the same day, and MMA Fighting laid out the order. Colby Covington, the current cruiserweight crossover champ, sits at No. 1 with a 5-0 promotional record. That run includes wins over Tsarukyan, Danis, Belal Muhammad, Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold. Henry Cejudo is No. 2 at 2-1, thanks partly to a 36-second pinfall of Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 12 in August that won him the lightweight crossover belt.
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Tsarukyan comes in at No. 3 with a 7-1 RAF record. That lone loss belongs to Covington. Chimaev is No. 4, and Dvalishvili rounds out the top five. Danis and Lawler don’t appear anywhere in the 20-man list. So Friday’s main event puts the No. 3 crossover athlete in the promotion against a guy the ranking panel left off the board entirely.
The rest of the card carries two more titles. Lucia Yepez faces Sarah Hildebrandt for the RAF women’s strawweight championship at 120 pounds, and Jordan Oliver takes on Ridge Lovett for the RAF lightweight championship at 155. Here’s the full order:
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- 175 lbs: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dillon Danis (middleweight crossover title)
- Catchweight: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robbie Lawler (crossover)
- 120 lbs: Lucia Yepez vs. Sarah Hildebrandt (women’s strawweight title)
- 145 lbs: Vito Arujau vs. Sebastian Rivera
- 175 lbs: Jordan Burroughs vs. Michal Caliendo
- 155 lbs: Jordan Oliver vs. Ridge Lovett (lightweight title)
- Heavyweight: Yonger Bastida vs. Zach Elam
- 190 lbs: Mekhi Lewis vs. Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov
- 175 lbs: Bella Mir vs. Hope Chase
- Catchweight: Pat Downey vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov (crossover)
- 190 lbs: Brendan Allen vs. Alexander Shlemenko (crossover)
- 145 lbs: Juan Archuleta vs. Dylan Ragusin (crossover)
Fight week has already started on social media. Chimaev posted fresh training footage to his account Sunday, as Championship Rounds flagged on X. Tsarukyan spent part of his weekend promoting his coffee brand with a skit featuring an AI version of Justin Gaethje, according to a post from Dovy on X. That’s one way to stay loose before a title fight.
My take: the headliner reads like a coronation on paper. Tsarukyan is 7-1 here, and his only loss came against the man ranked No. 1. Danis is coming in without a ranking. I don’t have a line in front of me yet, but I’d bet the house price on Tsarukyan ends up ugly enough that there’s no value laying it, and I’ve lost enough money backing short favorites to know when to keep my wallet in my pocket. The fight I’m actually circling is Burroughs vs. Caliendo in the middle of the card, because that’s the bout where the wrestling purists get their money’s worth. Doors open Friday, 8 p.m. ET on FOX Nation.
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