Bo Nickal Set for Shirvani Muradov at RAF Moscow

Bo Nickal’s next RAF appearance will put his wrestling pedigree against an Olympic champion. RAF has announced that the UFC middleweight is booked to meet Shirvani Muradov at RAF Moscow on Sept. 5. The event will air live on Fox Nation, with Khamzat Chimaev and Tyron Woodley set for the main event. Nickal is continuing to compete in wrestling while remaining active in the UFC. His latest RAF booking follows a win over Jacob Cardenas at the promotion’s inaugural event and comes as part of an announced two-match stretch. Before Muradov, Nickal is scheduled to take on Max McEnelly at RAF 12 on Aug. 22.

The Muradov match is a wrestling assignment, not a UFC bout, and it gives Nickal a notably credentialed opponent. Muradov won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling while representing Russia at 96 kilograms, a weight listed at approximately 212 pounds. MMA Mania identifies that Olympic title as coming at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Sept. 5 will also mark Muradov’s first RAF appearance. Nickal’s own background was established well before his move into mixed martial arts. He won three consecutive NCAA Division-I championships, then entered MMA as a highly regarded prospect. His RAF schedule places him back in the sport that shaped that reputation. The confirmed plan has Nickal wrestling McEnelly first and Muradov afterward, making the Moscow date the second announced appearance in that sequence. That context is central to the news. Nickal is not being added to RAF Moscow for an MMA contest; he is returning to freestyle competition against an Olympic freestyle gold medalist. The available reporting confirms the opponent, the event and the date, while the outcome of the match remains unreported.

Nickal has two RAF matches on the calendar

The route to Moscow begins with RAF 12. Nickal is scheduled to face 2026 NCAA Division-I champion Max McEnelly on Aug. 22. The reporting places that event in Cleveland. From there, Nickal is booked for a short turnaround before meeting Muradov at RAF Moscow on Sept. 5. Nickal already has one recent result in the promotion. He defeated Jacob Cardenas at RAF’s inaugural event. A later proposed matchup with MMA veteran Yoel Romero did not happen, but the McEnelly and Muradov matches are the two upcoming bookings identified in the reports. Together, they show Nickal maintaining a busy wrestling schedule following the Cardenas victory. The wrestling dates exist alongside Nickal’s UFC career. He is described as a rising contender in the UFC middleweight division and has a 6-1 UFC record. His most recent UFC win was a first-round knockout of Kyle Daukaus at UFC White House. Those details provide the broader setting for his RAF appearances, but the announced Moscow contest remains a wrestling match. For readers tracking the confirmed order of events, the schedule currently reads as follows:

The two opponents on Nickal’s announced RAF slate bring different documented accomplishments to the mat. McEnelly is identified as the 2026 NCAA Division-I champion. Muradov arrives with Olympic freestyle gold at 96 kilograms. Nickal, meanwhile, owns three straight NCAA Division-I championships from his collegiate career. Muradov’s debut creates a specific point of interest for the Moscow card: this will be his first match for RAF. His Olympic accomplishment came while representing Russia, and the supplied material lists the weight as 96 kilograms, or about 212 pounds. Nickal’s established record in collegiate wrestling makes the pairing one between athletes with high-level wrestling credentials earned in different settings. There are limits to what the announcement establishes. No result, rules information or later matchup is provided for Nickal versus Muradov. The confirmed details are the Sept. 5 date, RAF Moscow, the live Fox Nation broadcast, Muradov’s RAF debut and Nickal’s place on the card. That separation keeps the focus on the booking itself rather than on unannounced implications for either athlete.

What RAF Moscow confirms for Sept. 5

RAF Moscow is set for Sept. 5, and Fox Nation will carry the event live. Nickal versus Muradov is scheduled on a card led by Chimaev wrestling Woodley. Both are identified as former UFC champions in the supplied reporting. The main event gives the show a prominent centerpiece, while Nickal’s matchup supplies a separate wrestling storyline. He is returning to RAF after defeating Cardenas, and Muradov is entering the promotion for the first time. Their match also comes shortly after Nickal’s announced meeting with McEnelly at RAF 12. The verified schedule does not state that Nickal will face any particular opponent after Muradov, nor does it offer a prediction for either of his upcoming matches. What it does establish is a clear near-term sequence: Nickal is booked in Cleveland on Aug. 22 and then in Moscow on Sept. 5. Muradov’s Olympic gold and Nickal’s NCAA success explain the wrestling credentials attached to the second booking without changing its confirmed status as an announced match. The table separates the two upcoming Nickal appearances by date and event. It does not project results or add details beyond the reported schedule.

• Aug. 22 — Nickal is scheduled to wrestle 2026 NCAA Division-I champion Max McEnelly at RAF 12 in Cleveland.
• Sept. 5 — Nickal is scheduled to wrestle Olympic freestyle gold medalist Shirvani Muradov at RAF Moscow.

Nickal’s Sept. 5 meeting with Shirvani Muradov adds an Olympic freestyle gold medalist to his immediate RAF schedule. The Moscow contest follows Nickal’s successful outing against Jacob Cardenas and is set to come after his Aug. 22 match with Max McEnelly. With RAF Moscow airing live on Fox Nation and Chimaev versus Woodley heading the card, Nickal’s return to wrestling continues alongside his 6-1 UFC run.

Sources: MMA Fighting; MMA Mania