Real American Freestyle Wrestling has rapidly evolved into an unlikely hotspot for high-level competition. While its foundation leans more toward pure wrestling than MMA, its growing visibility has been fueled by the involvement of recognizable names like Arman Tsarukyan, along with other UFC stars who’ve helped bring it into the mainstream. Still, the promotion’s influence stretches well beyond entertainment.

For UFC athletes, it offers an additional revenue stream during downtime. For wrestlers, however, it represents something far more meaningful—a rare opportunity to earn a legitimate living after their collegiate careers end. Historically, wrestlers have lacked both the financial upside and exposure enjoyed by MMA fighters, making this shift particularly significant. Former UFC star Urijah Faber emphasized just how unprecedented this moment is.

“The pay is important. How many guys have been able to be wrestling participants and make money from it in history over the last 100-plus years? It’s none,” Faber told Ariel Helwani. “Now, in the last year, it’s a real thing where you can be a wrestler for a living. You can make as much as a doctor or a lawyer if you have four or five matches in a year. That’s never been heard of, and that’s why people are going to be tuning in. There’s going to be bigger hype, and this thing is going to have a lot of success.”

Although official pay structures in the RAF remain unclear, the model appears similar to the UFC’s show-and-win system. Reports suggest elite competitors are already seeing substantial payouts. Olympic champion Zaurbek Sidakov has reportedly been offered $80,000 per appearance, according to BJJEE. Meanwhile, Georgio Poullas, who faced Tsarukyan twice, reportedly secured one of the largest purses ever for a competitive wrestling match.

While Poullas’ exact earnings remain undisclosed, Andrew ‘Andy’ Bachman, who helped broker deals with the promotion, told The Athlete Lifestyle OnSI that the figure could be in the seven digits. Even so, the broader issue of pay equity lingers. While top-tier names are beginning to earn serious money, it remains uncertain whether newcomers are receiving comparable opportunities—or even enough to sustain a full-time career.

Faber, of course, is coming off a fight against Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 08, where he lost via 13-1. He previously fought Henry Cejudo at RAF 06, which he lost via 11-0. Despite these recent setbacks, Faber’s reputation was already well established long before his RAF stint, having competed across the NCAA Division I level, UFC, and several other major MMA promotions. 

That pedigree and name value likely played a significant role in securing him both the opportunity to compete on this stage and the compensation that came with it. Without that prior success and recognition, would he have been afforded the same chances? Unlikely. In any case, this isn’t the first time Faber has praised the promotion.

Urijah Faber saw it as an amazing opportunity for wrestlers

Before his fight against Henry Cejudo, Faber appeared in an interview with Bloody Elbow, where he spoke about the rise of RAF and what it could mean for wrestlers.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Faber said. “The wrestling world is a very tight-knit community, and we’ve done this for years and years and years for free just outta a passion that we’ve had.”

Faber explained that the RAF presents an amazing opportunity for athletes who previously lacked a professional path in wrestling. He noted that past attempts to build something similar had failed, but believes the sport’s growing influence in MMA has changed the landscape.

“I think it’s time now that there is a real opportunity… to have a real avenue for a professional route to make a career as an athlete,” he added.

That said, the level of success the wrestling promotion can ultimately achieve remains to be seen. For now, however, it seems to be moving in the right direction.