In a high-profile return for two veteran combat athletes, Michael Chandler and Chad Mendes will headline the upcoming Real American Freestyle event, RAF03, scheduled for Saturday, November 29, 2025, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Chandler, a former UFC title challenger and standout lightweight, is re-entering competitive action under a wrestling-based ruleset rather than the MMA cage. His opponent, Mendes, has a storied history as a top featherweight contender and stripped-down combat athlete, bringing decades of elite wrestling and fighting experience to the mat.

Both athletes carry strong collegiate wrestling pedigrees: Chandler earned All-American status at the University of Missouri and finished as a Big 12 runner-up twice, while Mendes was a two-time NCAA All-American at Cal Poly and captured Pac-10 Conference honours during his amateur career. Their meeting in the RAF mat setting marks a return to their foundational discipline and highlights the growing crossover between MMA and high-level wrestling showcases.

RAF03 is being promoted as a marquee fight night for the league, streaming exclusively on Fox Nation. Its model allows established MMA fighters to compete in wrestling-style matches outside their traditional promotional obligations, giving athletes like Chandler and Mendes a platform to leverage their grappling roots while engaging with fans in a new format.

For Chandler, this bout comes at a pivotal juncture: He has not secured a fight within the UFC for the remainder of 2025 and is shifting focus to keep competitive momentum alive. Mendes, meanwhile, adds to his post-MMA career portfolio by stepping into yet another competitive format, having previously competed in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and now choosing the wrestling mat.

The fallout from this match could be significant for both men. A strong performance by Chandler could signal a resurgence of his athletic brand, while a win for Mendes would further underline his versatility and endurance as a combat athlete past the typical prime years. For RAF, landing two such recognizable names boosts the promotion’s credibility and signals its intent to become a meaningful destination for elite grapplers and fighters seeking alternate professional avenues.

As anticipation builds, ticketing and full-card details are expected to follow shortly. Fans of combat sports, wrestling purists, and MMA watchers alike will have their eyes on Chicago at the end of November as these two seasoned athletes return to the mat, not the cage.