Colby Covington says Real American Freestyle officials are trying to turn Khamzat Chimaev’s recent callout into a marquee wrestling match, but early fan reaction shows plenty of skepticism about it ever hitting the mat.
Colby Covington vs. Khamzat Chimaev in RAF
Chimaev first pushed for a wrestling match after appearing at RAF 06, where Covington cut a promo and name‑dropped several big names from the UFC world. The UFC middleweight champion went on social media and broadcast interviews to target Covington specifically for RAF 07 in Tampa on March 28. He framed it as a way to “humble” Covington on the wrestling mat before returning to the cage, pointing to his previous freestyle win over Jack Hermansson as proof he can win outside MMA rules.
The picture around Chimaev’s next title defense changed overnight, with the UFC confirming he will face former champion Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328 on 9 May at the Prudential Center in Newark.
The bout marks Chimaev’s first defense of the middleweight belt since he dominated Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 last August, while Strickland arrives off a statement stoppage of Anthony Hernandez that pushed him back into title contention. With a grudge match booked for the UFC cage and a wrestling callout floating around RAF at the same time, many fans see Covington’s talk as more of a side plot than a realistic short‑term booking.
Covington’s claim about RAF talks
Covington has embraced RAF as a new outlet since debuting there in January and beating Luke Rockhold in a featured wrestling match, using the promotion to push callouts of both current and retired UFC names.
In recent media, he said RAF officials are “in talks” with Chimaev’s team about booking a wrestling match once the champion completes his next UFC title defense.
A Russian report quoting Covington had him insisting he could “break” Chimaev in a wrestling setting and claiming the promotion’s leadership is actively working on bringing the middleweight champion in. Covington has already told Submission Radio that the UFC shut down an earlier idea to have active roster members face each other in RAF.
Across X, Instagram, and TikTok posts carrying Covington’s “in talks” claim, replies are filled with predictions that the UFC will block the crossover, comparisons to other fantasy matchups that never got signed, and comments accusing Covington of using RAF callouts to chase headlines more than actual matches.
RAF is already using Covington as a centerpiece attraction, pairing him with Dillon Danis at RAF 07 while floating possible future matches with names like Kamaru Usman, Georges St‑Pierre, and even Khabib Nurmagomedov.
If Chimaev’s UFC schedule and the promotion’s rules ever line up, Covington’s comments suggest RAF would move quickly to headline a card with their wrestling match, but for now it remains closer to a public campaign than a signed deal.
