Cerrone Off RAF 15; Pettis to Wrestle Tsarukyan
Cerrone has not returned to the UFC since retiring in 2022. His planned freestyle wrestling match with Anthony Pettis at RAF 15 was removed from the November 28, 2026 card; Pettis is now scheduled to wrestle Arman Tsarukyan. This is separate from an MMA return.
In October 2024, Cerrone said he wanted to come out of retirement for two more fights and reach 50 combined appearances for Zuffa’s two promotions, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting. Dana White opposed the plan. “I hate it,” he said, adding that Cerrone had nothing left to prove and that they could find another way to make money if that was the motivation.
Why White objected
White said he loved Cerrone but did not want to see him take more damage after a long career. He argued that fighters usually retire because they feel their time in competition has passed, and said he would rather help Cerrone find other work than encourage a return to the cage. MMA Fighting reported White’s response after Cerrone announced his plan.
What happened after the announcement
Cerrone re-entered the promotion’s anti-doping testing program in December 2024 as he explored a possible return, but he did not fight again for the promotion. In October 2026, Real American Freestyle announced that Cerrone was off its Chicago card and Pettis would instead face Arman Tsarukyan in freestyle wrestling. MMA Fighting’s report identifies it as a wrestling match, rather than a return to MMA.
Cerrone’s 2024 plan was a proposed return to mixed martial arts. His announced 2026 bout is a separate competition in freestyle wrestling, so White’s opposition to another cage fight remains distinct from that scheduled appearance.
