Khamzat Chimaev signs with RAF ahead of UFC 328 title defense

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has signed with Real American Freestyle, the promotion announced during RAF 8 on Saturday night in Philadelphia. The undefeated titleholder will make his wrestling debut after defending his belt against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9.

Chimaev’s opponent and exact event date remain unannounced, but the move reunites him with the sport where he built his foundation. Before running through UFC contenders, Chimaev won three consecutive Swedish Freestyle National Championships between 2016 and 2018, going 12-0 with a combined score of 105-2 across those tournaments, per MMA Mania. He captured gold at 86kg twice before moving up to claim the 92kg title, recording seven technical falls and three pins along the way.

Olympic champion Kyle Snyder open to Chimaev matchup

The signing has already generated buzz among elite wrestlers. Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder told MMA Fighting he would welcome a bout with Chimaev. “I’ve seen clips of him wrestling and I think he’s pretty good,” Snyder said. “He’s similar to Arman [Tsarukyan] where you watch him wrestle and you’re like wow, pretty good. They know what they’re doing. So I think that’s an interesting matchup.”

Chimaev remains 15-0 in MMA with nine UFC victories, including a lopsided decision over Dricus du Plessis last August to claim the middleweight strap. He faces Strickland in Newark in three weeks.

RAF expects Chimaev to debut sometime this summer once his championship obligations are handled, according to MMA Fighting.

Photo by yousef samuil on Unsplash

Original reporting:

mmafighting.com — UFC champ Khamzat Chimaev signs with RAF | MMA Fighting

mmamania.com — Khamzat Chimaev signs with RAF ahead of UFC 328 | MMA Mania