Gable Steveson makes wrestling return at RAF 12

Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist and UFC heavyweight, is returning to freestyle wrestling at RAF 12 on August 22 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland for the promotion's one-year anniversary show. Steveson will face Anthony Cassioppi, a former college opponent whom he holds a 5–0 record against in their head-to-head matchups.

Steveson made a successful UFC debut earlier this month with a first-round knockout victory against Elisha Ellison at UFC 329. In his RAF debut at RAF 9 in May, the 26-year-old earned a technical fall win over former UFC and PFL heavyweight Alexandr Romanov. This bout marks his second appearance in the promotion.

Cassioppi brings momentum into the matchup after earning his first RAF victory last Saturday at RAF 11, defeating Mostafa Elders by points. The welterweight has previously competed against elite international wrestlers Shamil Sharipov and Akhmed Tazhudinov while in RAF.

RAF 12 features a strong main card headlined by Jordan Borroughs facing UFC welterweight Sean Brady, with Colby Covington competing against Belal Muhammad for the RAF cruiserweight crossover title in the co-main event.