The Real Action Fighting (RAF) wrestling league announced they have signed Khamzat Chimaev to compete in their organization. This follows the recent RAF 08 event featuring other MMA fighters competing in wrestling matches. The post is brief and does not provide additional details about contract terms, potential opponents, or when Chimaev might make his RAF debut. Bo Nickal reportedly responded to this news immediately by challenging the champion, though further details were limited in this specific post.
Khamzat Chimaev has signed with the Real Action Fighting wrestling league, the organization announced on April 19, adding one of MMA's most dominant grapplers to its roster of combat sports competitors. The signing comes in the wake of RAF 08, which featured MMA fighters stepping onto the wrestling mat. No details were disclosed regarding contract terms, potential opponents, or a debut timeline.
Chimaev, known as "Borz," holds a professional MMA record of 15-1-0 and currently sits ranked first in the UFC middleweight division, with a top-ten pound-for-pound standing at number ten. The 32-year-old, who competes out of the United Arab Emirates and trains at Allstars Training Center in Sweden, stands six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach. His grappling credentials inside the cage are well documented — he averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes, supplemented by 1.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes, numbers that underline why a wrestling organization would pursue his signature. His striking is equally sharp, with a 60 percent accuracy rate and 4.04 significant strikes landed per minute.
The move into competitive wrestling is not without immediate drama. Bo Nickal reportedly responded to the announcement by issuing a challenge to the champion, though specifics of that callout were not detailed in the initial report.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's elite grappling pedigree makes him one of the most credible MMA names to cross over into organized wrestling competition
- His divisional standing as the number one middleweight adds mainstream attention to RAF's growing roster
- A potential Chimaev-Nickal wrestling matchup, if formalized, would pit two of MMA's most celebrated grapplers against each other in a pure wrestling format
- The crossover trend signals continued appetite for hybrid combat sports events featuring established MMA talent
