Khamzat Chimaev is headlining RAF’s next international event.
After successful shows in Georgia and Moscow, RAF is now heading to Abu Dhabi as part of a new five-year deal with the Department of Culture and Tourism. The debut event takes place Nov. 14 with Chimaev slated to compete in the main event against an opponent to be announced later.
“Abu Dhabi’s going to be crazy,” Chimaev told MMA Fighting. “Arena will be five minutes from me, from my house. So it will be cool for Abu Dhabi and wrestling.
We started it to make it bigger, now I’m a part of this as well, so for me it’s a big thing.”
Chimaev is not the only current UFC star competing on the card, as crossover standout Arman Tsarukyan — fresh off his knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 — is also set to compete on the card just a couple of weeks after he’s set to face Dillon Danis in the main event of RAF 14 in October.
“The concrete thing is that Chimaev will be the main event in Abu Dhabi,” RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein said. “Arman will be wrestling in Abu Dhabi. Kyle Snyder will be wrestling in Abu Dhabi, Jordan Burroughs is wrestling in Abu Dhabi, Sadulaev is wrestling in Abu Dhabi. So it’s going to be an incredible card.”
Former two-division UFC champ and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo is also expected to wrestle at the event.
The promotion’s first trip to Abu Dhabi will include the first RAF Next Gen event in the area, Bronstein told MMA Fighting.
As far as RAF making things international, it’s about the sport and growing it as big as possible.
“They always say the international lanuguage is wrestling,” RAF co-founder Izzy Martinez explained. “A wrestler sees another wrestler, they immediately speak the same language. They understand what they’ve been through — the trials and tribulations — in this sport… the highs and the lows. It’s an immediate respect thing. So everybody immediately respects each other in this league and they’re moving forward so that’s exciting.”
