Turkmen freestyle wrestler Alp Arslan Begenjow is preparing for the «Real American Freestyle» (RAF) tournament, which will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 14. The 20-year-old athlete says that his preparations are proceeding according to schedule.

On November 9, Begenjow announced on his social media pages that five days remained before the competition and that his training sessions were continuing as planned.

The Turkmen wrestler’s opponent at the tournament will be American Kyle Dake. He is a five-time «NCAA» champion, a four-time world champion and a two-time Olympic bronze medallist. Dake competes in the «Cruiserweight» division of the RAF league and is currently the champion in this weight class.

Alp Arslan Begenjow is regarded as one of Turkmenistan’s most promising freestyle wrestlers in the new Olympic cycle. In September 2024, he won gold in the 79 kg category at the World Championships for athletes under 20, held in Pontevedra, Spain. With this achievement, the Turkmen athlete became the first junior world champion in Turkmenistan’s history. In the same year, he also won gold at the Asian Junior Championships.

In 2026, Begenjow began competing in the 86 kg category and claimed bronze at the Junior World Championships in Bratislava.

The «RAF Abu Dhabi» tournament will be held on November 14 at the «Etihad Arena» sports complex on Yas Island. It will be the RAF league’s first event to take place in the Middle East.