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Rematch! UFC veterans Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis set to run it back in Chicago

Two-time UFC rivals Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis will settle their long-standing rivalry outside the Octagon for the first time, facing off in a wrestling match at Real American Freestyle (RAF) 15 on November 28, 2026, in Chicago. The event marks Cerrone’s first appearance in the promotion and Pettis’s debut, despite neither being professional wrestlers.

Their third encounter—after two UFC bouts where Pettis won both—shifts from striking to grappling, with Cerrone retiring from MMA in 2022 but returning to competition under a new format. Pettis holds a 2-0 record against Cerrone in their prior UFC meetings, but the former welterweight contender now has a chance to even the score in a completely different discipline.

Neither fighter is untested on the ground, with Cerrone boasting 17 submission wins in his MMA career and Pettis famously tapping out Benson Henderson en route to a UFC lightweight title. The match, set to take place at NOW Arena, adds an unconventional twist to their storied rivalry, blending their athletic legacies with the spectacle of professional wrestling.

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