Khamzat Chimaev Spotted Training for Upcoming RAF Debut Days Away from UFC 328 Title Loss

Khamzat Chimaev was just spotted training just a few days after his loss at UFC 328 in preparation for his upcoming wrestling bout.

Khamzat Chimaev Spotted Training for Upcoming RAF Debut Days Away from UFC 328 Title Loss

Khamzat Chimaev is already training less than a week removed from his UFC 328 fight [via BJ Penn.com/Instagram]

In Short
  • Khamzat Chimaev is training for his upcoming match at RAF 10 after losing to Sean Strickland at UFC 328.
  • He will face Dillon Danis in the main event of RAF 10, marking his first competition outside the UFC since 2021.
  • UFC CEO Dana White has shown a permissive stance on UFC fighters competing in the RAF, including Chimaev's signing.

Khamzat Chimaev is already training after his title fight to perform at RAF 10 in St. Louis next month. Since its inception RAF remains a popular destination for UFC fighters, both retired and active, to compete in wrestling matches. Chimaev’s training partner, Arman Tsarukyan, is undefeated in the promotion. Now, just days after his loss at UFC 328, Chimaev is preparing to join Tsarukyan at RAF 10.

Chimaev is coming off a shocking upset loss at UFC 328 to Sean Strickland, who closed as a massive underdog against the Chechen. This was the first loss of Khamzat Chimaev’s career, with his MMA record now being 15-1 and his UFC record stands at 9-1. However, Chimaev seems to be looking forward and trudging through this setback by getting ready for next month’s wrestling bout.

‘Borz’ was recently spotted running alone at night in preparation for his upcoming match. Khamzat Chimaev is set to face Dillon Danis next month as the main event of RAF 10, which will be held one day before the UFC’s White House card. Dillon Danis is also coming off a loss after his defeat at the hands of Colby Covington in his debut at RAF 7.

The above footage just goes to show how intensely dedicated Khamzat Chimaev is to his training. However, he was recently criticized for that same intensity by former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Nonetheless, Khamzat Chimaev seems to be mirroring his training partner’s activity level, albeit to a lesser extent, by jumping right back into training.

Arman Tsarukyan has competed a total of five times and holds an undefeated record in the American wrestling promotion. ‘Ahalkalakets’ is set to fight twice in two weeks after booking a fight with MMA legend Tony Ferguson at RAF 10. The Armenian already had a bout scheduled against influencer, Mugzy, at RAF 09.

This upcoming wrestling match against Danis marks the first time Khamzat Chimaev has competed outside of the UFC banner since 2021. The Chechen competed against Jack Hermansson in a freestyle wrestling match at Bulldog Fight 9, based out of Sweden. He beat his fellow UFC middleweight by points on that night.

Chimaev seems to be branching out in his combat sports career. He even revealed a desire to take on Conor McGregor under Zuffa Boxing’s banner someday. However, before this RAF bout was announced, when asked about Chimaev’s RAF signing, UFC CEO Dana White had an interesting reaction.

RELATED
Crucial Moment of Sean Strickland vs Khamzat Chimaev That Commentary Team Missed Gets Exposed by Henry Cejudo

Dana White reacted to Khamzat Chimaev and other UFC stars joining RAF

A lot of active UFC fighters have competed on the Real American Freestyle mats. Arman Tsarukyan has been so active in the promotion that he even wants an ownership stake for “adding” $100 million to the company’s valuation. But apart from him, fighters like Bo Nickal and Michael Chandler also competed in the promotion.

Dana White, Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev with Dana White [via MMA Mania]

Last month at RAF 08 where Arman Tsarukyan beat Urijah Faber, the promotion announced the signing of Khamzat Chimaev. However, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about RAF signing the then-UFC middleweight champion. He initially asked who had signed Chimaev before giving an uncharacteristically flat answer.

Who signed him to a deal? Oh yeah, okay. Good for them. I hope it works out for them, yeah.

Dana White via UFC Winnipeg post-fight presser

Dana White has shown a largely permissive, hands-off stance about UFC fighters competing in RAF. This was confirmed when Dana White reacted to Arman Tsarukyan pushing Urijah Faber off the stage. The UFC CEO revealed at the UFC 326 post-fight presser that he wasn’t thrilled with Tsarukyan. However, he did say that Tsarukyan’s antics would not make him hesitant to let other UFC fighters compete in the RAF.

It appears that UFC fighters have their CEO’s blessings to compete freely in the RAF. So, with an immediate title rematch against Sean Strickland seemingly out of the picture, it appears Borz is going all in on his RAF debut.

Also Read: