Arsen Harutyunyan to face Olympic champion Rei Higuchi at RAF 10

Armenian wrestler Arsen Harutyunyan is set for a major showdown in the United States. On June 13 in St. Louis, at the RAF 10 event, he will compete in a freestyle wrestling match against Japan’s Rei Higuchi — the reigning Olympic champion and one of the brightest names in world wrestling. The bout was announced by Real American Freestyle.

For Harutyunyan, this meeting will be especially important. The Armenian wrestler has already faced Higuchi twice at major international tournaments, and on both occasions the Japanese athlete came out on top.

In 2022, at the World Championships, Higuchi defeated Harutyunyan by technical superiority, 10-0. A year later, however, their rivalry looked completely different. At the 2023 World Championships, the Japanese wrestler once again proved stronger, but the bout turned into a real thriller and ended 16-14 in Higuchi’s favor.

Now Arsen Harutyunyan will have a chance to take revenge at RAF 10. For the Armenian wrestler, this is not only a high-profile bout against an Olympic champion, but also an opportunity to test himself once again against one of the strongest lightweights in the world.

For both wrestlers, this will be their debut in the RAF league.

The event in St. Louis promises to be one of the most star-studded shows on the Real American Freestyle calendar. The same card is also expected to feature well-known MMA fighters: Arman Tsarukyan is set to face Tony Ferguson, while Khamzat Chimaev is scheduled to meet Dillon Danis.

RAF 10 will take place on June 13 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. For Armenian fans, the main event of the evening will be the clash between Arsen Harutyunyan and Rei Higuchi — a matchup in which Harutyunyan will have the chance to rewrite the history of his head-to-head meetings with the Japanese champion.