Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns meet again, this time on the RAF mats.
The freestyle wrestling promotion announced Wednesday that Chimaev and Burns are set to fight in the catchweight co-main event of RAF 13, which takes place Sept. 18 at Watsco Center in Miami and is headlined by a grudge match between Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad.
Chimaev and
Burns have a history, with Chimaev winning a unanimous decision over Burns in a hotly contested fight at UFC 273 in 2022. At the time, Chimaev was 10-0 as a pro with all of his wins coming by way of knockout or submission and Burns proved to be Chimaev’s toughest test yet.
When Chimaev steps onto the mats, it will mark his third RAF appearance in four months. He defeated Dillon Danis this past June at RAF 10 and is scheduled to wrestle former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley this Saturday in the main event of RAF Moscow. In Chimaev’s most recent UFC appearance in May, he suffered his first loss and dropped the middleweight title to Sean Strickland.
Burns retired from MMA competition this past April after Mike Malott sent him to a fifth straight loss at UFC Winnipeg. The one-time welterweight title challenger said he will continue to participate in grappling competitions and scored an 82-second submission victory over Horlando Monteiro at a UFC BJJ event in June. He competes under the RAF banner for the first time.
In the Sept. 18 main event, Covington defends his crossover cruiserweight championship belt against longtime rival Muhammad.
