Colby Covington is promising a rough night for Khamzat Chimaev. Previewing their RAF wrestling match, the former UFC interim welterweight champion said “It’s gonna be ugly,” according to Sportskeeda, and he made it clear he likes his chances in a pure grappling contest against one of the most feared wrestlers of his era.
The two headline RAF Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14, as MMA Fighting reported. That’s the same night the UFC is at Madison Square Garden with two title fights, so anyone who follows both sports will be juggling screens.
Chimaev’s busy year off the cage
Chimaev has kept moving since he lost the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in May. He has wrestled four times for RAF and won all four, beating former UFC champions Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley, longtime welterweight contender Gilbert Burns and Dillon Danis. Covington is next. Then on Dec. 4, Chimaev headlines ALF League’s first event at The Agenda in Dubai against Jorge Masvidal in a submission-only grappling match, which MMA Fighting counts as his sixth non-MMA outing since the Strickland loss.
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He hasn’t forgotten the octagon either. A Sports Illustrated FanNation headline from last week says Chimaev is still targeting Strickland in what it called an “Odd Rematch Twist.” That’s a headline, so I won’t fill in details it doesn’t give.
Covington’s crowded calendar
Covington is stacking grappling dates of his own. Championship Rounds posted on X that Danis pulled out of a scheduled grappling match with Covington at Hype FC in Rome, and that Raul Rosas Jr. is stepping in. So Covington is preparing for a heavier, more decorated wrestler in Chimaev while also holding a booking against a much younger, smaller opponent in Rosas.
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He’s still weighing in on the UFC, too. In a clip posted by MMA Junkie on X, Covington said Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales doesn’t deserve to be an interim title fight and defended Islam Makhachev’s decisions. “What have those guys done? Michael Morales has fought nobody,” Covington said.
Quick take
When Covington says ugly, I believe him, and I mean that as a compliment to the matchup. His best weapon was always relentless pace. He’d take a shot, get stuffed, and immediately start digging for a single on the way back up. In a wrestling-only format that pace matters even more, because nobody can bail out of a bad scramble with a right hand. The problem is that Chimaev is 4-0 on this exact mat against a list that includes two former UFC champions, and his chain wrestling (head inside, change levels, run the pipe, start again) is built to drain the very cardio Covington is banking on. I expect a grinding, hand-fighting-heavy first stretch where Covington looks competitive. Then Chimaev starts finishing his second and third attempts. My pick is Chimaev. Covington makes him work for it, and Chimaev still has the Masvidal match in Dubai 20 days later.
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