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It seems the biggest fight in RAF history has been given the green light, courtesy of Khamzat Chimaev.
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Going a perfect two-for-two in his short RAF career, Chimaev is one of the biggest names regularly competing on the Real American Freestyle stage. He has the chance to extend his winning run in the promotion on Friday, when he collides with former UFC opponent Gilbert Burns. Headlining the card will be Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad, and if both men come away with a victory, there is a good chance they’re matched up next. The pair have publicly announced interest in making the fight happen, but Chimaev may have just prematurely leaked the fight.
In the press conference ahead of his clash tomorrow, Khamzat Chimaev revealed that the long-awaited RAF bout against Colby Covington will, in fact, take place. ‘Borz’ found the funny side of his slip-up, while he all but confirmed the best match in company history, saying:
“Colby is not in the UFC right now, so I think we’re going to wrestle in Abu Dhabi. Maybe I too early announced that. Sorry, guys.”
Watch the hilarious mistake below.
🚨 Khamzat Chimaev just accidently leaked that he’s going to face Colby Covington at RAF in Abu Dhabi next 👀
“I think we gonna wrestle [Colby] in Abu Dhabi. Maybe I announced that too early, sorry guys.” 😭
(via @RAFWrestlingUSA) pic.twitter.com/98n0cwGUVU
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— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 17, 2026
A fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington would undoubtedly bring the most eyes to RAF. However, there’s still time for the bout to lose much of its traction.
While Chimaev and Covington have combined for a flawless 6-0 on the RAF mats, they have a huge obstacle in the way of their super-fight; Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.
Two serious grapplers with true pedigree. Chimaev and Covington are likely heading into their bout on Friday, September 18 as favorites, but anything can happen in combat sport as we’ve seen countless times.
If the pair get through their main and co-main event outings on Friday, the hype will be much stronger. If any of them lose, what would be RAFs selling point?
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This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 1:57 PM.