Khamzat Chimaev has signed a contract with the RAF wrestling league. Bo Nickal immediately reacted to this news by issuing a challenge to the champion. The post also noted that Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber 13-1 in RAF competition and afterward called out Colby Covington, promising to win 10-0 and stating that people have already forgotten Covington as a fighter, and he will make them forget him as a wrestler too. Gilbert Burns also announced his retirement.
Khamzat Chimaev has signed a contract with the RAF wrestling league, and the news drew an immediate public response from Bo Nickal, who issued a direct challenge to the middleweight contender.
Chimaev, known as "Borz," carries a 15-1 professional MMA record and holds the number-one ranking in the middleweight division, with a pound-for-pound ranking of tenth. The 32-year-old, who represents the United Arab Emirates and trains out of Allstars Training Center, is one of the sport's most relentless grapplers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 4.04 significant strikes landed per minute at 60 percent accuracy. His decision to sign with the RAF wrestling league adds a new competitive dimension to his already decorated combat sports career.
Nickal, the 30-year-old American southpaw out of American Top Team Happy Valley, holds a 9-1 record and wasted no time responding to the news with a public challenge. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, Nickal is himself a decorated wrestling-based fighter, averaging 3.1 takedowns per 15 minutes and an exceptional 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes, with striking accuracy sitting at 61 percent.
Separately, the same news cycle brought word that Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber 13-1 in RAF competition and used the moment to call out Colby Covington, claiming people have already forgotten Covington as a fighter and vowing to make them forget him as a wrestler as well.
Also announced on the same day, Gilbert Burns officially retired from mixed martial arts. "Durinho" finishes his career with a 22-10 record, representing Brazil at welterweight, where he held the number-13 ranking at age 39. Burns averaged 3.15 significant strikes per minute and 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes across a career spent largely with Kill Cliff FC.
Why it matters
- Chimaev entering the RAF league raises his profile beyond MMA and sets up potential crossover rivalry with Nickal on the wrestling mat
- Nickal's public challenge signals his intent to pursue Chimaev in whatever competitive arena becomes available
- Burns's retirement closes the book on one of welterweight's most technically complete careers of the past decade
