RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesReal American Freestyle is exceeding its own expectations in year one.
“We didn’t know it was going to take off as fast as it did,” RAF CEO and cofounder Chad Bronstein tells Front Office Sports .
Bronstein launched RAF in April 2025 alongside WWE legend Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Izzy Martinez. RAF differs from WWE and other prominent wrestling promotions in that it features Olympic-style wrestling and moves away from the scripted, theatrical nature that other wrestling events have become known for.
The promotion held its first event in August 2025 and has had matches every month since October. That consistency is what Bronstein credits for RAF’s early success.
“A lot of emerging sports leagues don’t have events every month,” he said. “Why we’re successful is because we’re pumping out events and creating content. We’re not letting consumers have enough time to forget about us.”
The company has seen strong growth on social media, amassing nearly 400,000 followers on Instagram and generating hundreds of millions of views per month across platforms. That growth wouldn’t likely have happened if not for RAF’s media rights deal with Fox Nation, according to Bronstein. The partnership began as a two-fight deal, but has since evolved, with the streaming service broadcasting all 12 of RAF’s events.
“We recognized early that there was an incredibly passionate and underserved fan base for the sport,” Fox Nation SVP Gavin Hadden tells FOS . “Every town across America has young athletes participating in the sport, yet there has never been a dedicated home for the fan base to tune-in.”
Bronstein says the two parties have renegotiated their media deal eight times, with 34 events signed in total and the current iteration running up until 2028. He feels it’s “only a matter of time” before a RAF event is simulcast on another Fox-owned channel.
The Finances
RAF’s roster features a large number of current and former UFC fighters, along with former All-Americans and Olympians. Former UFC champions like Khamzat Chimaev, Merab Dvalishvili, and Henry Cejudo have all competed for the promotion.
Given the high-profile nature of its roster, RAF’s fighter payouts are substantial for each event. Dvalishvili tells FOS that his RAF pay is similar to what he earned for his UFC fight against Petr Yan in 2023, when he was ranked as the No. 3 contender at bantamweight. While UFC and RAF contracts are not public, based on estimates, it is likely his RAF pay is somewhere in the six-figure range, giving a rough idea of what fighter pay looks like for some of the promotion’s stars.
Despite critics who believe RAF will run out of money, Bronstein is not concerned, citing the company’s backing from venture capital firms Left Lane Capital and Cassius, along with its sponsorship deals.
“We’ve done $10 million in sponsorship revenue in the first year. Tell me a league that’s emerging that’s been able to do that,” he said. “We feel pretty good where we’re at.”
One of RAF’s prominent sponsors, Real American Beer, was co-founded by Bronstein and Hogan, with WWE also having a minority ownership stake. The promotion also has deals with nicotine brand Lucy, online casino Spartans.com, and Brio Water.
What’s Next?
RAF has announced its next four events, which includes a Sep. 5 card in Moscow, headlined by Chimaev and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Outside of the professional league, the promotion is also focused on building up the youth wrestling scene. RAF recently acquired its first youth club in Tampa, with the acquisition of more U.S. and international clubs in the works. The promotion also launched RAF Next Gen, a youth wrestling tournament series that spans six months and ends with championship matches hosted alongside an RAF professional event.
One thing that won’t happen is the appointment of a commissioner. RAF was founded with plans for Hogan to hold the position, but the wrestler passed away prior to the promotion’s first event. Bronstein said the role was created only for the WWE legend and will not be filled.
Bronstein also confirmed that TKO, the parent holdings company of UFC and WWE, has no stake in RAF, despite both parties being involved with Real American Beer. He didn’t close the door, however, on a future partnership.
“Never say never, but that’s not an open conversation that’s happening right now,” he said.
For now, RAF remains focused on building up the professional and youth wrestling scene, with the goal of leaving a lasting impact on the sport.
“Our long-term goal is to change the sport of wrestling and build this sport properly for it to become a huge league,” Bronstein said. “I think we have an opportunity to be what the NFL is for football or what MLB is for baseball.”
The post How Real American Freestyle Thinks It Could Change the Sport of Wrestling appeared first on Front Office Sports .
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