Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis face off ahead of RAF event

Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis came face to face in a tense staredown on June 12, 2026, as the two grapplers squared off ahead of their scheduled bout at the RAF event.

Chimaev, known as "Borz," enters the contest as one of the most decorated mixed martial artists in the world. The 32-year-old currently holds a professional MMA record of 15-1-0, ranks first in the UFC middleweight division, and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound standings. Fighting out of the United Arab Emirates and training at Allstars Training Center, the six-foot-two orthodox striker is as dangerous on the feet as he is on the mat. He lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 60 percent, and his wrestling is among the most suffocating in the sport, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts in the same window.

Danis does not appear in the AgentMMA verified database, so detailed career statistics for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner are not available at this time.

Why it matters

• Chimaev brings elite-level grappling credentials from the highest level of MMA competition into a pure grappling context
• The matchup tests whether a specialist grappler can neutralize the wrestling and submission threat of a top-ranked UFC contender on the mat alone
• The RAF platform continues to attract marquee names, and this staredown signals genuine competitive tension heading into the event