Former UFC champions Merab Dvalishvili and Frankie Edgar will square off on the mats at Real American Freestyle 9 on May 30 in Dallas, Texas.
RAF made the announcement on social media.
Dvalishvili was scheduled to face fellow former UFC champion Henry Cejudo at RAF 08 in Philadelphia, but an injury forced Cejudo out of the bout just hours before the event. As a result, the matchup was scrapped, and Urijah Faber vs. Arman Tsarukyan was elevated to the main event.
Edgar (24-11-1 MMA) wrestled collegiately at Clarion University wrestling, where he was a four-time NCAA qualifier. He retired from MMA in 2022 and was later scheduled to compete in a BKFC event against Jeremy Stephens, but was ultimately not medically cleared to participate. The former UFC lightweight champion was disappointed by the cancellation, though the decision was out of his control.
RAF 09 takes place on May 30 in Dallas, Texas and will broadcast on Fox Nation. The card, as of now, is as follows.
- Gable Steveson vs. Alexandr Romanov
- Colby Covington vs. Chris Weidman
- Kenney Blades vs. Alexis Gomez
- Zain Rutherford vs. Elnazar Akhmataliev
- Lucia Guzman vs. Cameron Guerin
- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Frankie Edgar