Michael Page Gets Alexander Shlemenko At RAF 14 As UFC Star Hits Freestyle Detour | MiddleEasy
MiddleEasy · Jake Blend · 2026-08-20T11:48:42+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Michael Page already had one bizarre September assignment on the books. Now the UFC striker is entering Real American Freestyle’s orbit with an October wrestling detour waiting right behind it.
Real American Freestyle announced that Page will meet Alexander Shlemenko at RAF 14 on Oct. 3 in Las Vegas, with the match airing on Fox Nation. The promotion put the matchup out through its social channels Wednesday, and yes, the MMA gods have apparently decided that a rangy karate sniper and an old Bellator violence merchant should settle business on a wrestling mat.
Here is the announcement from Real American Freestyle:
VEGAS ARE YOU READY? 👀
Alexander Shlemenko takes on Michael Page OCT 3 in Las Vegas at #RAF14
Tickets in bio. Watch on @foxnation pic.twitter.com/XFjBW7kkgw
— Real American Freestyle (@RAFWrestlingUSA) August 19, 2026
Page And Shlemenko Get A Very Different Kind Of Matchup
Page is still an active UFC fighter, which makes this booking extra spicy. He has gone 4-1 in the UFC since arriving from Bellator, and his next MMA fight is already set for Sept. 5 at UFC Paris against Nursulton Ruziboev. That means MVP is jumping from a ranked-mixup type MMA assignment into a specialty wrestling match less than a month later, assuming everything holds together.
That is a strange lane for a fighter best known for point-fighting chaos, hands-low traps, spinning attacks, and making opponents look like they forgot which sport they signed up for. Page built most of his name in Bellator, where he became one of the promotion’s most recognizable highlight-reel strikers before moving to the UFC.
Shlemenko brings a completely different kind of history. The former Bellator middleweight champion has been around forever, has nearly 90 pro MMA fights on the odometer, and made his name by throwing spinning attacks and body shots like he was trying to personally offend ribs. He also has submission wins on his record, but this is still a freestyle wrestling match, not an MMA bout where he can punch his way out of a bad moment.
RAF has been leaning hard into the MMA-crossover lane, and this booking fits that exact playbook. Jordan Burroughs was booked for Sean Brady at RAF 12, while the promotion has also pulled names like Arman Tsarukyan, Dillon Danis, Henry Cejudo, Merab Dvalishvili, Tyron Woodley, and Joaquin Buckley into its orbit. The whole pitch is simple enough. Put recognizable fighters in wrestling matches, make the rules digestible, and see who can actually swim when the punches disappear.
RAF 14 is currently expected to be headlined by Arman Tsarukyan against Dillon Danis, which already had enough chaos baked in before Page and Shlemenko got added. Page brings the UFC name value and the curiosity factor. Shlemenko brings the old-school Bellator grit, the championship history, and the possibility that this becomes a much uglier night than the poster suggests.
The fun part is that nobody really gets to hide here. Page’s distance tricks do not matter if he cannot stop a tie-up, and Shlemenko’s striking threat is parked outside the building once the match starts. After Shlemenko’s quick submission win over Alex Oliveira reminded people he is not just a spinning-backfist nostalgia act, RAF 14 now gives him a chance to drag MVP into a completely different kind of fight.