Snyder, Dake and Burroughs Win in Moscow as RAF Card Opens With 11 Bouts

Q: Why was a star-studded wrestling event featuring American legends suddenly blacked out from U.S. screens just hours before the opening bell?

It was blacked out in the United States because the event’s original Moscow venue, VTB Arena, was tied to VTB Bank and BM-Bank, Russian entities under U.S. sanctions, creating legal and compliance risks for any American company involved in broadcasting it. That sanctions issue became the central problem just before fight night. ESPN reported that holding the card at VTB Arena could amount to Americans or U.S. businesses transacting with sanctioned entities unless a specific U.S. Treasury license had been obtained. Real American Freestyle said it was consulting sanctions counsel, but it did not confirm whether it had secured such a license. After those questions were raised, Fox Nation — which had been expected to carry the show — said it would not stream the Moscow event. That decision effectively removed the U.S. broadcast outlet. Although RAF later shifted the event from VTB Arena to Arena Mytishchi less than 48 hours before the card, the move came too late to restore a U.S. stream, and no replacement domestic broadcaster was announced. So the blackout was not caused by a sporting or production issue. It stemmed from the event’s sanctions-related backdrop, the venue’s links to a sanctioned Russian bank, and Fox Nation’s withdrawal once the potential exposure became public. As a result, American viewers were left with only post-event results instead of a live broadcast.

3 articles · Updated · FloWrestling · Sep 5

Kyle Snyder beat Akhmed Tazhudinov 11-5, Kyle Dake edged Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov 7-6, and Jordan Burroughs rolled past Magomedov Kurbanaliev 10-0 in featured RAF Moscow results.
11 completed bouts also included title wins for Kennedy Blades, who technical-falled Vusala Parfianovich 10-0 for the women's middleweight belt, and Dake, whose 190-pound victory came in the cruiserweight title match.
Bo Nickal added an 11-8 decision over Shirvani Muradov, Jason Nolf won on criteria after a 5-5 bout with Ismail Khaniev, and Vito Arujau opened the card with a 13-3 technical fall over Soslan Ramonov.
The September 5 event in Moscow features international matchups across multiple catchweights and title classes, with Abdulrashid Sadulaev vs. Zac Braunagel and Khamzat Chimaev vs. Tyron Woodley still listed as the top remaining bouts.