Khamzat Chimaev has officially signed a contract with the RAF wrestling league. The announcement confirms Chimaev's expansion into competitive wrestling outside of MMA. No specific opponents or event dates were mentioned in the post. The post asks fans who they would like to see Chimaev face in wrestling competition. This represents a crossover move for the UFC contender into pure grappling competition.
Khamzat Chimaev has officially signed a contract with the RAF wrestling league, marking a crossover move into competitive grappling outside of MMA. No specific opponents or event dates were announced alongside the signing, though the announcement invited fans to weigh in on who they would like to see Chimaev face in a wrestling setting.
Chimaev, known by his nickname Borz, competes in the UFC's middleweight division, where he currently holds the number-one contender ranking and sits tenth on the pound-for-pound list. The 32-year-old, who represents the United Arab Emirates and trains out of Allstars Training Center in Sweden, carries a professional MMA record of 15-1. He stands six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. His grappling credentials inside the Octagon are well established — he averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes, a figure that ranks among the most aggressive in the sport. His wrestling base has long been considered one of the most dominant in MMA, making the move into a dedicated grappling competition a natural extension of his skill set.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's transition into RAF wrestling competition adds another platform to his already prominent combat sports profile
- His elite takedown numbers — 5.29 per 15 minutes — suggest he can compete at a high level in pure wrestling formats
- The signing may raise questions about how active grappling competition fits alongside his UFC obligations at middleweight
- Fan interest in potential wrestling opponents could generate significant crossover attention for the RAF league
