The RAF wrestling league has officially announced the signing of Khamzat Chimaev to compete in their organization. This represents Chimaev's entry into professional wrestling competition alongside his MMA career. The announcement was made following RAF08, where other MMA fighters competed in wrestling matches. Bo Nickal immediately responded to this news by challenging Chimaev. Further details about when Chimaev will compete or potential opponents were not provided in the announcement.
The RAF wrestling league has officially announced the signing of Khamzat Chimaev, marking the middleweight contender's move into professional wrestling competition alongside his ongoing MMA career. The announcement came in the wake of RAF08, an event that featured other MMA fighters competing in wrestling matches, though no specific dates or opponents for Chimaev's wrestling debut were disclosed.
Chimaev, known by his nickname "Borz," carries a 15-1-0 MMA record and currently sits as the number-one ranked middleweight and the number-ten pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The 32-year-old, who represents the United Arab Emirates and trains out of Allstars Training Center, is a six-foot-two, orthodox-stance fighter with a 75-inch reach. His grappling credentials in MMA are formidable, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes, making his transition to professional wrestling a natural extension of his skill set.
The signing drew an immediate reaction from Bo Nickal, who publicly challenged Chimaev in response to the news. Nickal, a 30-year-old southpaw from the United States who trains with American Top Team Happy Valley, holds a 9-1-0 MMA record. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, Nickal has demonstrated elite wrestling integration in his MMA fights, averaging 3.1 takedowns and 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes, with a striking accuracy of 61 percent.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's entry into the RAF league adds a top-ranked MMA contender to professional wrestling competition, raising the organization's profile
- Nickal's immediate callout sets up a potential marquee wrestling matchup between two elite grapplers with active MMA careers
- Both fighters possess high-level wrestling backgrounds that would make any matchup between them genuinely competitive on the mat
