RAF Leadership Commented on the Scandal Following the Tsarukyan vs. Puollas Fight at the Arizona Tournament

Following the high-profile incident at the RAF 06 tournament in Arizona, the league’s leadership issued its first official statements. As a reminder, the freestyle wrestling bout between Arman Tsarukyan and Giorgio Puollas ended in a mass brawl immediately after the final whistle.

The match initially unfolded in a tense atmosphere. Puollas displayed provocative behavior — the exchange of slaps between the athletes occurred already at the beginning of the contest. The referees recorded violations, and in the second period the Greek wrestler continued to act passively and was penalized with points. Ultimately, Tsarukyan secured a 5:3 victory.

However, immediately after the bout concluded, the situation spiraled out of control: Tsarukyan attacked his opponent on the ground, delivering a strike that left Puollas knocked out. A mass brawl involving team representatives erupted both on and off the mat. The organizers needed time to restore order.

RAF league president Chad Bronstein stated at a press conference that the organization is not rushing to conclusions:

“Today was a wonderful tournament, it was amazing. One unfortunate incident occurred. We are not going to comment on it right now. We still need to review the footage and assess what happened; I won’t go into details. The wrestling world is a big family. Therefore, we do not want such things to happen in this sport.”

League producer and promoter Eric Bischoff also denied speculation that the conflict might have been staged:

“I’ve already been accused of staging all this myself to promote the league because it looks like pro wrestling. But no, I would never go that far. Seriously, I was very disappointed, as there were many great moments at this tournament. What happened will create buzz and controversy — it could generate significant revenue, but also significant negativity. We will review everything and figure it out.”

According to available information, throughout the match Puollas provoked Tsarukyan with inappropriate remarks, attacking his honor, which further escalated tensions.

It is expected that after reviewing the video footage, the RAF league will make a decision regarding possible disciplinary measures against those involved in the incident.

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