RAF 15 on Nov. 28 adds RIZIN bantamweight champion Danny Sabatello vs. Jacob Shultz, alongside the Petriashvili-Bastida heavyweight title eliminator.
From 2 reports by 2 outletsLatest Sabatello vs. Shultz added to RAF 15 on Nov. 28 2 outlets
What we know
- Petriashvili vs. Bastida at RAF 15 is a number-one contender match, with the winner to face Wyatt Hendrickson for the RAF heavyweight championship.
- RAF ranks Petriashvili second and Bastida seventh at heavyweight; Shamil Sharipov is ranked first.
- RAF has not announced a date or venue for the heavyweight title match, and Hendrickson is not on the RAF 15 card.
- RAF 15 is at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, on Nov. 28, starting on Fox Nation.
- Henry Cejudo faces Song Yadong for the lightweight crossover title, and Cayden Henschel faces Conor Beebe for the featherweight crossover title.
- RIZIN bantamweight champion Danny Sabatello wrestles RAF Undiscovered competitor Jacob Shultz at RAF 15, a homecoming for Sabatello in Illinois.
- RAF scoring differs from folkstyle: a shot clock after a passivity call, no points for escapes, one point for a reversal or step-out, and no riding time.
Real American Freestyle turned a heavyweight booking into a title eliminator on October 26. Geno Petriashvili and Yonger Bastida now wrestle at RAF 15 for the right to face champion Wyatt Hendrickson, though the promotion has not said when or where that title match will happen.
The rankings show how the matchup is built. Petriashvili is ranked second and Bastida seventh. Shamil Sharipov, ranked first, is not on the card. Bastida already has history with Sharipov, according to his RAF profile, which lists a 5-3 bout from June 13. That profile gives him a 1-1 RAF record.
Bastida arrives fresh. He beat Zach Elam at RAF 14 on October 23, the same night Tsarukyan won the crossover title over Danis. Petriashvili has one recorded RAF appearance, a 10-0 win over Jake Varner at RAF Georgia on July 11.
Petriashvili brings the bigger résumé. He won Olympic freestyle heavyweight gold at Paris 2024 with a 10-9 final over Amir Zare, adding to a Rio 2016 bronze and a Tokyo silver. That win also reversed his losses to Zare in the 2021 and 2023 world finals. Hendrickson, the champion, is 3-0 in RAF title bouts, with wins over Mostafa Elders, Mason Parris and Trent Hillger.
The eliminator sits beneath two crossover title fights: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong at lightweight and Cayden Henschel vs. Conor Beebe at featherweight. The show also includes Cody Garbrandt vs. Sergio Pettis, Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis and Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Clay Guida.
Watch for RAF to announce a date and venue for Hendrickson's next defense once the winner is decided.
The rankings show how the matchup is built. Petriashvili is ranked second and Bastida seventh. Shamil Sharipov, ranked first, is not on the card. Bastida already has history with Sharipov, according to his RAF profile, which lists a 5-3 bout from June 13. That profile gives him a 1-1 RAF record.
Bastida arrives fresh. He beat Zach Elam at RAF 14 on October 23, the same night Tsarukyan won the crossover title over Danis. Petriashvili has one recorded RAF appearance, a 10-0 win over Jake Varner at RAF Georgia on July 11.
Petriashvili brings the bigger résumé. He won Olympic freestyle heavyweight gold at Paris 2024 with a 10-9 final over Amir Zare, adding to a Rio 2016 bronze and a Tokyo silver. That win also reversed his losses to Zare in the 2021 and 2023 world finals. Hendrickson, the champion, is 3-0 in RAF title bouts, with wins over Mostafa Elders, Mason Parris and Trent Hillger.
The eliminator sits beneath two crossover title fights: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong at lightweight and Cayden Henschel vs. Conor Beebe at featherweight. The show also includes Cody Garbrandt vs. Sergio Pettis, Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis and Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Clay Guida.
Watch for RAF to announce a date and venue for Hendrickson's next defense once the winner is decided.
- Summary
- RAF 15 on Nov. 28 adds RIZIN bantamweight champion Danny Sabatello vs. Jacob Shultz, alongside the Petriashvili-Bastida heavyweight title eliminator.
- Key points (one per line)
- Danny Sabatello, the RIZIN bantamweight champion, faces Jacob Shultz at RAF 15 on Nov. 28 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Petriashvili (ranked No. 2) meets Bastida (No. 7) for the next shot at Wyatt Hendrickson.
Cejudo vs. Song and Henschel vs. Beebe are the crossover title fights on the card.
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- MiddleEasy | https://middleeasy.com/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/geno-petriashvili-yonger-bastida-raf15-heavyweight-title-eliminator/
Gong Kakutogi | https://gonkaku.jp/articles/25230
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