TLDR
- Colby Covington defends his RAF cruiserweight title against Khamzat Chimaev on November 14 in Abu Dhabi
- Covington is 2-0 in title fights after beating Arman Tsarukyan and Belal Muhammad
- Chimaev enters with a 3-0 RAF record including wins over Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns
- Tyron Woodley predicts Covington will win due to his superior cardio and strength
- Chimaev faces Robbie Lawler two weeks before the title fight at RAF 14 in Las Vegas
Sources: mmafighting.com | fightbookmma.com
Colby Covington will defend his RAF cruiserweight crossover title against Khamzat Chimaev on November 14 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The match will headline RAF Abu Dhabi as promotional officials confirmed the title fight to MMA Fighting.
Covington captured the championship with a points victory over Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11 in July. He successfully defended the belt earlier this month with a first-period tech fall win against Belal Muhammad at RAF 13.
Chimaev enters the title fight with a 3-0 record in the RAF promotion. He has earned pinfall victories against Dillon Danis and Tyron Woodley, plus a tech fall win over Gilbert Burns at RAF 13.
Colby CHAOS Covington 💥
Colby Covington will defend his RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Championship vs Khamzat Chimaev at #RAFABUDHABI on NOV 14
Register your interest via link in bio. pic.twitter.com/xAWEmLyBNB
— Real American Freestyle (@RAFWrestlingUSA) September 29, 2026
Woodley Wants Rematch, Predicts Covington Victory
Tyron Woodley, who lost to Chimaev in their RAF match, told Mr Gamble he wants a rematch. “I’ve got to get my lick back against Khamzat, man,” Woodley said.
Woodley believes Covington has an advantage in the upcoming title fight. He pointed to Covington’s cardio as a “cheat code” that could make the difference.
“I do think Colby has an edge,” Woodley explained. “He is going to press Khamzat over and over and over again.”
Woodley trained with Covington in the past and saw his endurance firsthand. “For somebody who doesn’t work that hard, his cardio is ignorant,” Woodley said.
He also believes Covington’s strength will help him defend against Chimaev’s takedowns. “Colby has really good static strength,” Woodley noted.
Woodley said Chimaev’s strength felt different than expected in their match. “I thought Khamzat was going to have way more static strength than he did,” Woodley said.
Chimaev Faces Lawler Before Title Shot
Chimaev will compete two weeks before the title fight against Robbie Lawler. That match serves as the co-main event of RAF 14 in Las Vegas.
Woodley gave Lawler a chance in the wrestling match despite being an underdog. “In freestyle wrestling, you can expose somebody’s back or catch them for a pin and it’s over,” Woodley said.
He doesn’t expect Lawler to dominate the entire match. “I don’t think he is going to put together an entire wrestling match and beat Khamzat,” Woodley added.
The RAF Abu Dhabi card will also feature other high-profile athletes. Arman Tsarukyan is scheduled to compete against an opponent to be announced.
Olympic champions Jordan Burroughs, Henry Cejudo, and Kyle Snyder are also set to appear on the card. The event marks the promotion’s debut in Abu Dhabi.
Woodley said he plans to wrestle two more times this year and three or four times next year. He also received an MMA fight offer for November but is considering waiting to return to mixed martial arts.
Covington told MMA Fighting after his win over Muhammad that Chimaev should be careful what he wishes for. The two will now settle their rivalry with the cruiserweight title on the line in Abu Dhabi.
