Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev will wrestle against long-time rival Colby Covington in an upcoming RAF event.
Chimaev and Covington have been going after each other for years while both of them were in the UFC, but they were never locked inside the Octagon against each other.
But now, we will finally see them go against each other in RAF wrestling.
RAF Announces Blockbuster Wrestling Match Between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington
RAF officially announced on Tuesday that Chimaev will wrestle Covington at RAF Abu Dhabi, which takes place on November 14 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Championship will be on the line in the match.
Khamzat Chimaev vs Colby Covington for the RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Championship on Nov 14 at Etihad Arena #inAbuDhabi
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A Match Years in the Making
It’s a shame that we never got to see Chimaev and Covington and fight inside the Octagon in the UFC, as these two men despise each other, but the good news is that we are going to see them wrestle in RAF.
While a wrestling match is not the same as an MMA fight since there are no strikes allowed, this should still be a high-level competition between two elite athletes.
Chimaev is obviously an absolutely amazing wrestler, and we’ve seen that in both his wrestling and MMA careers, but Covington is also fantastic with his wrestling skills, and he recently beat Arman Tsarukyan in RAF, which showed just how talented he is at this sport, one that he has been doing since a young age.
Chimaev will likely be the betting favorite for this match as he is the bigger man, but Covington certainly is going to have his opportunities in this match.
This will undoubtedly be one of the most highly anticipated wrestling matches for the rest of 2026, so when it goes down, fans are surely going to be tuning in to their televisions to check it out.
Chimaev will get to stay busy by taking this match as he awaits his next fight inside the UFC, while Covington is no longer a UFC fighter and is instead focused exclusively on competing in wrestling for RAF these days.
Khamzat Chimaev Takes on Colby Covington in RAF