Chimaev Accidentally Reveals Covington RAF Match

Khamzat Chimaev has apparently leaked his next Real American Freestyle wrestling assignment before the promotion wanted it public.

The UFC middleweight champion told reporters at Thursday's RAF 13 press conference that he expects to face Colby Covington in Abu Dhabi, then immediately caught himself. "Uh, I maybe announced that too early. Sorry, guys," he said, per MMA Mania's coverage of the event. His sheepish smile and glance around the room suggested the match is either finalized or close to it.

Chimaev and Covington's Long-Awaited Showdown

Chimaev meets Gilbert Burns tomorrow night at RAF 13 in Coral Gables, while Covington defends his RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title against Belal Muhammad in the main event. When asked who he wanted next on the wrestling mats, Chimaev pointed straight at Covington and dropped the Abu Dhabi news. Neither RAF nor Covington has confirmed the bout, and no date was mentioned.

The two were linked to an MMA fight for years in the UFC welterweight division but never crossed paths in the cage. Chimaev moved to middleweight and won the title, while Covington retired from mixed martial arts after a nearly two-year layoff. Covington has said he would wrestle Chimaev at 185 pounds but refused to give away significant size near 200.

Covington remains undefeated in RAF and captured the promotion's inaugural cruiserweight belt by stopping Arman Tsarukyan in July. Chimaev is 2-0 in the organization and last pinned Tyron Woodley in under two minutes. Assuming both survive RAF 13 healthy, the matchup appears set for Abu Dhabi in what would mark the promotion's first event in the UAE.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Whoops! Khamzat Chimaev accidentally leaks future RAF match … and it’s must-watch