Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington are finally booked against each other. This is a freestyle wrestling match, not the UFC fight. Covington will defend his Real American Freestyle Cruiserweight Crossover Championship against Chimaev on Saturday, November 14, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The bout headlines RAF’s first event in the Middle East.

Khamzat Chimaev vs Colby Covington in RAF

The pairing has history. In 2022, UFC president Dana White said he wanted Chimaev to face Covington, and Chimaev said the promotion had discussed a March fight. Nothing was made official. Four years later, the two will meet with a different set of rules and a belt already belonging to Covington.

Image: @rafwrestlingusa/Instagram

Covington, a former interim UFC welterweight champion and two-time NCAA All-American wrestler, enters at 5-0 in RAF. He won the inaugural crossover title on points against Arman Tsarukyan in July, then made his first defense in September, beating former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad by a 10-0 technical fall. His other RAF wins came against Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis and Chris Weidman.

Khamzat Chimaev Dares Dillon Danis to Meet Him Outside Following Massive RAF 10 Brawl. [Image via Fox Nation]

Chimaev is 3-0 on the RAF mats. He pinned Danis and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, then beat Gilbert Burns by technical fall, 15-4, at RAF 13 in Miami. Burns is a familiar opponent: Chimaev also beat him by decision in the UFC in 2022. Chimaev has competed under the UAE flag since 2023, giving the Abu Dhabi booking a home-crowd angle that needs little help from a microphone.

Image: @rafwrestlimgusa/Instagram

Neither man’s unbeaten RAF record tells the whole story of his MMA career. Chimaev is a former UFC middleweight champion who lost the title, and his first professional MMA bout, to Sean Strickland by split decision in May. Covington’s RAF run has come after his UFC interim title reign. Chimaev also has another wrestling date before the title match: he is scheduled to face Robbie Lawler at RAF 14 in Las Vegas on October 23.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – MAY 07: Khamzat Chimaev of Russia is seen on stage during the UFC 328 press conference at Prudential Center on May 07, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)

For the Abu Dhabi card, Arman Tsarukyan, Henry Cejudo, Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder are among the other athletes announced, with their opponents still to be confirmed. The show begins a five-year Abu Dhabi partnership for RAF after events in Tbilisi and Moscow; ticket and broadcast details have not yet been announced.

Timothy Wheaton