Khamzat Chimaev to wrestle Chris Weidman at RAF Abu Dhabi after Colby Covington withdraws

Colby Covington is out of RAF Abu Dhabi with an injury. Khamzat Chimaev now faces ex-UFC champion Chris Weidman on November 14 for the RAF light heavyweight crossover title.

Khamzat Chimaev will now wrestle former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the main event of RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday, November 14, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Real American Freestyle announced the change on Monday, November 9, after Colby Covington withdrew from the card because of an injury.

The RAF light heavyweight crossover championship will be on the line. Chimaev was originally scheduled to face Covington for the American's cruiserweight crossover title, but that bout is off.

What RAF said

RAF announced the new main event on social media: Chimaev vs. Weidman for the RAF Light Heavyweight Crossover Championship, with Weidman stepping in after Covington was forced to withdraw due to injury. The promotion did not say what the injury was. MMA Mania, as cited by boxingnews.com, reported that Covington suffered an undisclosed injury.

Background

Covington competed last weekend at HYPE Fighting Championship in Rome, where he tapped to a rear-naked choke from UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. in 40 seconds, according to boxingnews.com. After that loss, Covington said it was the first time he had done jiu-jitsu in years.

Chimaev took a shot at Covington on social media after the news, suggesting fear played a role in the withdrawal, MMA Fighting reported. That is Chimaev's claim, not something RAF or Covington confirmed.

Chimaev has won four straight RAF wrestling matches since June, against Dillon Danis, Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns and Robbie Lawler. The National reports his most recent win was an 11-0 technical fall over Lawler. He is awaiting his next UFC assignment.

Weidman has competed once under the RAF banner, losing a decision to Covington in May. That was his first competition since a grappling loss to Patrick Downey in mid-2025.

RAF Abu Dhabi lineup

The updated card, as listed by MMA Fighting, includes:

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Chris Weidman
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Neiman Gracie
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Giga Chikadze
Abdulrashid Sadulaev vs. Dauren Kurugliev
Kyle Dake vs. Alp Arslan Begenjov
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Urijah Faber
Jordan Burroughs vs. Azamat Nurykau
Kyle Snyder vs. Shamil Erdogan
Diana Avsaragova vs. Julianna Pena
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes
Kennedy Blades vs. Bella Mir

The event is RAF's Middle East debut and airs on Fox Nation in the U.S. and Starzplay in the MENA region.