RAF announces Tsarukyan vs Poullas rematch at RAF 07 in Florida

The RAF league has officially announced a rematch between Arman Tsarukyan and Giorgio Poullas. The bout will take place on March 28 in Florida at the RAF 07 event and will be held under freestyle wrestling rules.

However, the situation surrounding the rivalry is complicated: at the moment the rematch has been officially announced in two different leagues and under different rules.

The following matches are currently scheduled:

• March 11 — Tsarukyan vs Poullas | grappling | Hype Brazil event in Rio de Janeiro

• March 28 — Tsarukyan vs Poullas 2 | freestyle wrestling | RAF 07 (Florida)

Previously, the fighters themselves had different positions regarding the rematch.

Tsarukyan stated that he did not want a freestyle wrestling rematch and would prefer to face Poullas under grappling rules at Hype Brazil.

Poullas, on the other hand, said that he was only willing to fight at an RAF event.

How the conflict started

The fighters already met on March 1 at RAF 06 in Arizona, where they competed under freestyle wrestling rules.

Arman Tsarukyan won that match. However, after the final whistle the situation escalated — Tsarukyan struck his opponent, which triggered a massive brawl.

The incident caused significant reaction in the combat sports community, after which both sides began discussing a rematch, possibly under grappling rules.

Earlier, Tsarukyan said in an interview that Giorgio Poullas would receive a record purse for the rematch at Hype FC.

According to the fighter, his opponent would be paid “more than he has ever earned before,” which further increased interest in the rivalry.

Later, Giorgio Poullas announced that he refuses to participate in the grappling match at Hype Brazil.

He said this during a stream with well-known journalist Ariel Helwani. According to Poullas, he made this decision at the request of RAF president Chad Bronstein.

The head of RAF plans to organize the rematch within his league, which is why the fight in Brazil was supposedly canceled.

However, Hype FC has not officially announced the cancellation and continues promoting the fight on social media.

Therefore, the situation currently remains uncertain.

• Poullas claims the grappling match is canceled

• Hype FC continues to promote the bout

• RAF officially announced a wrestling rematch on March 28

If Poullas’ version is confirmed, Tsarukyan will be given a new opponent for the Hype Brazil event.

UPDATED:

Arman Tsarukyan announced that Giorgio Pullas has withdrawn from the grappling bout. Only freestyle wrestling will be held at RAF from March 7-28. They are looking for a new opponent for Arman at Hype Brazil.