A post-match brawl erupted Saturday night following a Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling event at the Mullett Arena on the Campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The incident, which occurred after the match between UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas, was broadcast live on FOX Nation.
Video footage circulating online shows Tsarukyan shoving Poullas to the mat after the final buzzer. The altercation quickly escalated with Tsarukyan throwing punches at Poullas while he was down. Former UFC title contender Colby Covington immediately intervened, attempting to separate the two wrestlers. According to reports, Covington then escorted Poullas backstage as the situation de-escalated.
The RAF event featured a number of prominent figures from both the wrestling and mixed martial arts worlds. Earlier in the evening, Colby Covington defeated Luke Rockhold by technical fall (12-0), while Arman Tsarukyan also secured a dominant victory, defeating Lance Palmer by technical fall (10-0). Other notable results included Kyle Dake defeating Mahamedkhabib Kadimagomedov by decision (10-7) and Stephen Buchanan defeating Yoel Romero by technical fall (10-0), as reported by MMA Junkie.
The incident involving Tsarukyan and Poullas prompted a reaction from RAF Wrestling bosses Eric Bischoff and Chad Bronstein, according to Bloody Elbow. The brawl occurred after a night of wrestling matches that included UFC veterans and notable wrestlers.
The RAF event, which streams on FOX Nation, also featured bouts between Jordan Oliver and Real Woods, Zahid Valencia and Nate Jackson, Austin DeSanto and Nathan Tomasello, Bo Bassett and Cayden Henschel, Mostafa Elders and Steve Mocco, Johnni DiJulius and Pat Lugo, and Georgio Poullas and Keelon Jimison, according to results published by Yahoo Sports.