Khamzat Chimaev will meet Chris Weidman in the main event of RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14. Weidman steps in as a replacement for Colby Covington, who has withdrawn from the bout due to injury.
Khamzat Chimaev will headline RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14 against Chris Weidman, who takes the fight on short notice after Colby Covington withdrew with an injury.
Weidman, 42, arrives with a 16-8 record and the longest résumé of anyone on the card's top line. The former champion fights out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team and lands 3.11 significant strikes per minute at 45 percent accuracy. He also averages 3.27 takedowns per 15 minutes. His most recent recorded fight was a second-round KO/TKO loss to Eryk Anders at UFC 310 on December 7, 2024. Before that he beat Bruno Silva by unanimous decision in March 2024 and lost a decision to Brad Tavares in August 2023.
Chimaev, 32, is 15-1 and holds the number one spot at middleweight, along with the number 10 position in the pound-for-pound rankings. He represents the United Arab Emirates and trains at Allstars Training Center. His most recent recorded fight was a split-decision loss to Sean Strickland in a title fight at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026, the first defeat of his career. That came after a unanimous decision win over Dricus Du Plessis in a title fight at UFC 319 in August 2025, and a first-round submission of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in October 2024.
Covington, 38, was the original opponent. He is 17-5, and his most recent recorded fight was a third-round doctor's stoppage loss to Joaquin Buckley in December 2024.
Why it matters
- Chimaev returns from his first professional loss, and his home-region main event now comes against a replacement opponent.
- The numbers point to a grappling-heavy matchup. Chimaev averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes against Weidman's 3.27, and 1.8 submission attempts against 0.8.
- Chimaev's striking output is higher, at 4.04 significant strikes per minute and 60 percent accuracy.
- Weidman has a 3-inch reach advantage on paper, at 78 inches to 75, with both men standing six-foot-two. He is also 10 years older.
