Khamzat Chimaev and Tyron Woodley meet in the RAF Moscow main event at VTB Arena, with both former UFC champions competing on the wrestling-based promotion's mats. Chimaev enters on the back of a pinfall win over Dillon Danis in June, while Woodley is coming off an RAF victory over Joaquin Buckley — his first combat sports win since 2018. The co-main event features Russian Olympic wrestling champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev against Zac Braunagel, and the card also includes UFC fighters Bo Nickal and Shara Magomedov, former two-division ONE titleholder Anatoly Malykhin, and former Bellator standout Neiman Gracie.
Khamzat Chimaev and Tyron Woodley are set to collide in the main event of RAF Moscow at VTB Arena, a grappling-focused promotion that has attracted a high-profile roster of combat sports talent for its latest card.
Chimaev, the hard-charging Russian-born Swede, heads into the bout with momentum on his side, having picked up a pinfall victory over Dillon Danis in June. A former UFC welterweight and middleweight contender known for his smothering wrestling and relentless pressure, Chimaev has built a reputation as one of the most physically dominant competitors of his generation.
Woodley enters on more unfamiliar footing. The former UFC welterweight champion has not recorded a win in traditional combat sports since 2018, making his RAF victory over Joaquin Buckley a meaningful step toward relevance in this format. The wrestling-centric ruleset of RAF suits a fighter of Woodley's background, and the Buckley result signals he has found some footing on the mats.
The card surrounding the main event is stacked. Russian Olympic wrestling gold medalist Abdulrashid Sadulaev faces Zac Braunagel in the co-main event, bringing genuine amateur pedigree to the promotion. UFC middleweight Bo Nickal, ranked thirteenth in his division at 30 years old, also appears on the card. The southpaw wrestles at a rate of 3.1 takedowns per fifteen minutes and has posted a 9-1 professional MMA record, making him a natural fit for a wrestling-based format. Fellow UFC middleweight Shara "Bullet" Magomedov, a 32-year-old Russian striker with a 17-1 record and a striking accuracy of 62 percent, rounds out the UFC contingent. Former two-division ONE heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin and Brazilian submission specialist Neiman Gracie, who averages 5.8 submission attempts per fifteen minutes in MMA competition, are also featured.
Why it matters
- Woodley's first major main event since his UFC run ends gives the card international crossover appeal
- Chimaev's continued activity outside the UFC keeps his name prominent heading into any future booking
- The broader lineup blends elite wrestling credentials with recognized MMA names, raising the profile of RAF as a promotion worth watching
