Steveson Returns To RAF 12

Gable Steveson is keeping busy between UFC appearances.

Two weeks after his first-round knockout of Elisha Ellison at UFC 329, he is heading back to the freestyle wrestling mats for RAF 12.

Steveson will face Anthony Cassioppi on August 22 in Cleveland. Their most notable meeting came at the 2021 NCAA Division I National Championships, where Steveson beat Cassioppi.

Cassioppi knows Steveson's tendencies as well as anyone who has wrestled him, and the collegiate record suggests he was a legitimate challenge even if the outcomes were one-sided. Whether years of professional development have narrowed the gap is what August 22 will explore.

For Steveson, the RAF appearance serves the same purpose it has since he began competing in the promotion — staying active and competitive in a format that keeps his wrestling sharp while the UFC plots his development path. He defeated former UFC heavyweight Alexander Romanov at RAF 09, and the Cassioppi match continues that pattern of credible opposition on the mats.

RAF 12 shapes up as a significant card beyond Steveson. The promotion is working to finalise a grudge match between Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad as the potential headline event/ Covington called Muhammad out after winning the cruiserweight championship over Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11.