RAF Will Hold Youth Wrestling Tournament In Middle East

Real American Freestyle’s youth wrestling series is headed to the Middle East.

RAF Next Gen will host an event in the United Arab Emirates in November. The two-day event will run Nov. 14-15 in Abu Dhabi alongside RAF’s professional card with "international and regional wrestling federations" participating.

Boys 11U, 13U, 15U, 17U divisions
Girls 13U, 15U divisions
Up to 252 competitors across all weights
Day 1 at NYU Abu Dhabi; Day 2 at Etihad Arena

“From the beginning, we believed that building RAF meant building the entire sport, not just a professional league. Taking Next Gen international is a major step in that vision. Bringing young athletes from different countries to Abu Dhabi and giving them the chance to compete on the same stage as the sport’s biggest names is exactly the kind of pathway wrestling needs more of." -- RAF CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein

RAF is partnering with the UAE Wrestling Federation on the event; the tournament is an extension of RAF’s five-year deal with the federation and Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism.

RAF meshes unscripted, Olympic-style wrestling with the entertainment, production and spectacle of UFC and WWE and a streaming deal with Fox Nation. It launched the Next Gen circuit earlier this year — folkstyle tournaments sanctioned by USA Wrestling that run alongside pro cards, clinics, meet-and-greets and other programming — along with a clubs network.

Athletes are encouraged to participate in as many events as they can; the top-2 wrestlers in each division based on Next Gen’s rankings system are expected to meet in a showcase tournament later this year.

Quick Take: We have talked a lot about experiences recently — subscribe to Buying Sideline! — and youth wrestling is a space that affords itself to some really cool possibilities. And it’s not just pairing competition with premium vacations; there are opportunities for genuine cultural exchanges and even sports diplomacy. RAF held a card in Moscow earlier this year and wrestling is huge in Cuba and Iran, as well as India and Japan.