Khamzat Chimaev still has a main event in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. He just has a new opponent and a new belt to chase. Colby Covington has withdrawn from their Real American Freestyle title match with an injury, and RAF announced on Monday that Chris Weidman will step in on short notice at Etihad Arena on November 14.
The promotion posted the change on X, billing Chimaev vs. Weidman as the new headliner for the RAF Light Heavyweight Crossover Championship. That’s an inaugural title, so the card loses its champion-vs-challenger hook and gains a vacant belt. Bloody Elbow first laid out the details.
How we got here
Chimaev, the former UFC middleweight champion, was booked to challenge Covington for the RAF crossover cruiserweight title in his first title match for the promotion. Covington had built a legitimately solid run on the mat. He won that belt by beating Arman Tsarukyan, then defended it for the first time against Belal Muhammad in September.
Then he took a detour. Earlier this month, Covington wrestled under the Hype FC banner and got submitted by Raul Rosas Jr. in less than a minute. He’s now injured, and his plan to turn around quickly for Chimaev fell apart. Booking a sub-60-second loss and a title defense against Chimaev in the same few weeks was an ambitious calendar. It didn’t hold.
Weidman’s mat résumé
This will be Weidman’s second RAF appearance. His first one came against, of all people, Covington, and Weidman lost. That was his second defeat since his UFC career ended, after he also lost to Pat Downey in Fury Pro Grappling. So the Hall of Famer arrives in Abu Dhabi with two losses in his post-Octagon grappling work and almost no prep time.
The rest of the card
RAF is making its Abu Dhabi debut with four title matches on top. Kyle Snyder, Bella Mir and Kyle Dake all have title bouts before the main event. MMA fans should also circle Zabit Magomedsharipov’s return, as he meets UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze on the mat. The show streams on Fox Nation in the U.S. and Starzplay in the Middle East and North Africa. It lands the same week UFC 334 brings a championship double header to Madison Square Garden, so RAF has picked a crowded weekend to plant a flag.
Sal’s take
I love a live underdog, and I’ve lost plenty of money proving it. This doesn’t look like one of them. A short-notice replacement who lost to the guy he’s replacing, and who’s also dropped a pro grappling match since retiring, is a tough sell against Chimaev on anybody’s mat. If a book hangs a number on this, I’d expect it to be steep, and I’d be in no rush to chase Weidman at a plus price just because the name on the poster says Hall of Famer. The more interesting money question is what happens to Covington’s cruiserweight belt once he’s healthy, and whether Chimaev wants it after he’s done with Weidman on November 14.
