Colby Covington and Chris Weidman will face each other in a professional wrestling match on May 30 at RAF09. Covington holds a 17-5 overall record with a 12-5 UFC record, while Weidman stands at 16-8 overall and 12-8 in the UFC. This represents a crossover appearance for both former UFC contenders into the world of professional wrestling. The bout will take place at the Russian Absolute Fighting event. Both fighters have extensive experience in grappling disciplines, making this an intriguing matchup outside the MMA cage.
Colby Covington and Chris Weidman are set to cross over into professional wrestling when they meet on May 30 at RAF09, a Russian Absolute Fighting event.
Covington, known as "Chaos," carries a 17-5 overall record including a 12-5 mark inside the UFC. The 38-year-old American trains out of MMA Masters and built his reputation as one of the sport's most relentless wrestlers, averaging 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes during his MMA career. Standing five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach, he fought at welterweight and spent years as a top-ranked contender in that division.
Weidman, nicknamed "The All-American," stands at 16-8 overall with a 12-8 UFC record. The 42-year-old from the United States trains with the Serra-Longo Fight Team and made his name as a grappling-first middleweight, averaging 3.27 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career. At six-foot-two with a 78-inch reach, he is perhaps best remembered for his time as UFC middleweight champion.
Why it matters
- Both fighters bring legitimate collegiate and MMA grappling credentials to a professional wrestling context, lending the matchup technical credibility.
- The bout represents a notable crossover moment, placing two former UFC title-level competitors on a Russian Absolute Fighting card.
- Neither man currently holds a UFC ranking, so the stakes are reputational rather than divisional, though the event keeps both names visible in combat sports.
