Cody Garbrandt is trading the Octagon for the wrestling mat, and he’s got a former Bellator world champion waiting for him. The former UFC bantamweight king is set to throw down with Sergio Pettis at Real American Freestyle (RAF) 15 in Chicago on November 28, giving fans a crossover matchup worth keeping an eye on.

RAF dropped the matchup on Friday, and that’s not all the promotion has cooking. UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. is also set to make his wrestling debut against veteran Clay Guida. The event will stream live on Fox Nation, with Garbrandt vs. Pettis adding some serious MMA star power to the growing card.

Rosas Jr. is coming into RAF 15 with some serious momentum after knocking out Raoni Barcelos in a UFC main event just weeks ago. The finish was downright scary, with Barcelos appearing to lose consciousness during a takedown sequence.

Now, Rosas Jr. is switching things up and taking his talents to the wrestling mat against the ever-game Clay Guida.

Garbrandt, on the other hand, has had a rough time in the Octagon lately and will get a chance to test himself in a different setting. His showdown with Pettis adds another intriguing matchup to a stacked RAF 15 card, which also features Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis, Cayden Henschel vs. Conor Beebe, Matt Ramos vs. Roman Bravo-Young, Haley Augello vs. Miranda Maverick, and Danny Sabatello vs. Jacob Schultz.

With Rosas Jr. making his wrestling debut and ‘No Love’ squaring off against a former Bellator champ, RAF 15 has plenty of star power. But don’t mistake this one for a fun crossover exhibition. Both Garbrandt and Pettis have something to prove, and the matchup gives them a chance to get back in the win column in a different arena.

Cody Garbrandt and Sergio Pettis look to rebound from recent setbacks

While the wrestling showdown gives both men a chance to step outside MMA, neither is exactly coming off a smooth run. Sergio Pettis, in particular, has another fight to worry about before he can even think about RAF 15.

The former Bellator champion is scheduled to face Joji Goto at PFL Dubai on November 14, adding another chapter to the ongoing PFL-RIZIN partnership. ‘The Phenom’ will enter that fight looking to shake off a unanimous decision loss to Mitchell McKee in April.

Before that setback, however, he had kicked off his PFL run with back-to-back wins over Magomed Magomedov and Raufeon Stots. The 33-year-old currently holds a 25-8 professional record and has won two of his last five outings.

Sergio Pettis first made his name in the UFC, spending six years with the promotion before jumping ship to Bellator. He made his Bellator debut in 2020 and wasted little time making his mark, capturing the bantamweight title the following year with a unanimous decision win over Juan Archuleta. He went on to defend the belt twice before Patchy Mix brought his reign to an end in November 2023.

As for Goto, the Japanese fighter is set to make his PFL debut after spending the past few years competing exclusively under the RIZIN banner. That means ‘The Phenom’ has some unfinished business to handle on November 14 before he can turn his attention to Cody Garbrandt and their wrestling clash later that month.

For Garbrandt, though, things are looking a lot more serious. The 35-year-old was stopped in the first round by Adrian Yanez at UFC 329, his sixth stoppage loss in eight fights since 2017. ‘No Love’ has made it clear that he’s not ready to call it quits just yet, but the results have been hard to ignore.

At this point, the big question is how he can get his career back on track without putting himself in another bad situation. That’s where RAF 15 comes in. The wrestling match gives Garbrandt a chance to work on his grappling away from the pressure of another UFC fight.

Defensive issues have haunted him throughout his career, and going up against a former Bellator champion like Pettis could give him some valuable work on the mat. Still, once the dust settles in Chicago, Garbrandt will have to figure out what’s next inside the Octagon.

One option that practically writes itself is a rematch with Dominick Cruz. At UFC 207, Garbrandt famously outclassed Cruz to win the bantamweight title, delivering a striking masterclass based around slick movement, impeccable timing and devastating counters.

It’s still one of the biggest moments of his career and running it back would give him a chance to live that moment again. Cruz, meanwhile, most recently suffered a loss to Marlon Vera in August 2022. A second meeting could be an intriguing way for ‘No Love’ to reconnect with the form that once made him one of the most dangerous fighters in the division.

For now, though, Cody Garbrandt has Sergio Pettis standing across the mat at RAF 15. ‘No Love’ gets a chance to test himself in a different arena, but the bigger fight will come afterward: figuring out how to turn things around and make another run at relevance inside the Octagon.