Khamzat Chimaev Set for RAF Moscow

Real American Freestyle has announced its next Moscow main event: Khamzat Chimaev will face Tyron Woodley on Sept. 5. The matchup is set under freestyle wrestling rules and marks Chimaev’s second confirmed appearance for RAF. Woodley, identified as a former UFC welterweight champion, will be on the opposite side of the mat when RAF brings the event to Moscow. U.S. viewers are scheduled to watch the card exclusively through FOX Nation. RAF has said that broadcast information for international audiences will be announced later.

The new booking follows Chimaev’s first experience with the promotion in June, when he met Dillon Danis in the RAF 10 main event. Chimaev won that match by first-round pinfall, providing the only confirmed RAF result of his run before the Moscow assignment was revealed. His June appearance did not end quietly, however. Reports described a confrontation involving both teams after the match, turning the aftermath into a major part of the discussion around Chimaev’s debut. RAF now moves Chimaev into another headline role, this time against Woodley, with a date and U.S. streaming outlet already confirmed.

Moscow match follows a turbulent RAF debut

Chimaev’s first RAF outing delivered a fast result before the situation around the match escalated. He pinned Danis in the opening round of their June contest, a win that came in the main event of RAF 10. MMA Fighting reported that Danis appeared to attempt a choke after a takedown. The report said that incident was followed by an all-out brawl between the teams. BJPenn also reported that members of both camps stormed the mat and became involved in the altercation. Those events belong to the June Danis matchup, not the newly announced Woodley contest. Still, they provide the immediate backdrop for Chimaev’s return to RAF. The promotion has confirmed a separate freestyle wrestling match for Moscow rather than a continuation of the Danis situation. Chimaev enters the Sept. 5 booking with one RAF win on record: the first-round pinfall from June. The format also gives relevant context to the announcement. MMA Mania identified Chimaev as a three-time Swedish national freestyle wrestling champion. That background is directly connected to the discipline RAF is using for the Moscow headliner. It does not establish what will happen against Woodley, but it explains why Chimaev’s move into another RAF main event has a clear wrestling basis. RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein told MMA Fighting that Chimaev was expected to compete multiple times for the promotion before the end of the year. For now, the Moscow bout is the specifically announced future appearance.

Woodley is scheduled to have RAF business before the Chimaev matchup. According to the supplied reports, he is slated to meet Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12 on Aug. 22, a contest described as his promotional debut. That date sits earlier on the RAF calendar than Moscow, but it does not alter the announced Sept. 5 main event between Woodley and Chimaev. The available information confirms the two bookings without providing a result for either future match. For readers tracking the schedule, the practical distinction is simple: Chimaev’s June match against Danis is completed, while the Woodley meeting in Moscow remains booked. The first result was a first-round pinfall for Chimaev; the second contest is a future freestyle wrestling headliner. RAF has also made clear that tickets are coming soon and that fans can join a presale list. No additional international viewing arrangement has been detailed yet, so the confirmed broadcast information is limited to the United States.

Confirmed details for RAF Moscow

RAF has placed Chimaev and Woodley at the center of its Moscow card on Sept. 5. Chimaev is returning after his June win over Danis, while Woodley is listed as the former UFC welterweight titleholder in the announcement. Their meeting is described as a freestyle wrestling match, and the event is scheduled to stream exclusively on FOX Nation in the U.S. The promotion has not supplied further international broadcast details. It has said tickets are coming soon and directed interested fans to its presale list. Those are the event-access details currently available, alongside the date, city, main event and U.S. outlet. There is no confirmed result to project from the matchup, and the announcement does not provide any additional outcome beyond the scheduled contest. Chimaev’s place on the card comes after a debut that combined a decisive pinfall with a chaotic post-match scene. His wrestling credentials and that completed RAF result offer context for the booking, while Woodley’s scheduled Aug. 22 appearance against Buckley provides the preceding date on his RAF calendar. The central item remains unchanged: Chimaev versus Woodley is set to headline RAF Moscow on Sept. 5.

• Main event: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Tyron Woodley in a freestyle wrestling match.
• Date and location: Sept. 5 at RAF Moscow.
• U.S. viewing: Exclusive streaming on FOX Nation.
• Ticket update: Tickets are coming soon, with a presale list available.

Chimaev is booked for a second RAF appearance after pinning Dillon Danis in the first round of their June match. His next confirmed assignment is a Sept. 5 freestyle wrestling main event against Tyron Woodley at RAF Moscow. FOX Nation is the announced U.S. streaming destination, tickets are expected to become available soon, and international broadcast plans have yet to be announced.

Sources: Sherdog; MMA Fighting; BJPenn; MMA Mania