RAF Abu Dhabi: Chris Weidman challenges Khamzat Chimaev - 'We'll find out how great his wrestling is'

Résumé détaillé

Chris Weidman has warned Khamzat Chimaev that he will be the "hardest match he's ever had" after getting the call to replace Colby Covington at RAF Abu Dhabi.Weidman, 42, has…

Chris Weidman has warned Khamzat Chimaev that he will be the "hardest match he's ever had" after getting the call to replace Colby Covington at RAF Abu Dhabi.

Weidman, 42, has stepped in to face Chimaev in the main event at Etihad Arena this Saturday after organisers confirmed on Monday that Covington had pulled out injured.

It is Real American Freestyle wrestling's first event in the Middle East after signing a five-year partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and the UAE Wrestling Federation.

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Speaking on Deep Waters, Weidman called Chimaev "a beast", but said that it would be foolish of the UAE grappler to underestimate him.

“Most people are going to be picking against me for good reason because Chimaev is a beast. He’s super, but a great wrestler,” Weidman told Deep Waters host Din Thomas.

“I think I’m his hardest match he’s ever had with grappling and wrestling.”

Weidman, 42, is a two-time NCAA Division I All-American who retired from pro MMA in January 2025. He has competed once in the RAF, losing to Covington at RAF 9 in May.

“I’ve never got thrown around by anybody in wrestling, in jiu-jitsu, in grappling, in the gym or in a fight in my life.

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