Khamzat Chimaev is set to face Tyron Woodley in a wrestling match in September, as the former UFC champions headline a Real American Freestyle (RAF) show in Russia.
Chimaev suffered his first loss in mixed martial arts in May, as Sean Strickland took the UFC middleweight belt from the Russian with a shocking decision win. And while Chimaev’s next UFC bout is up in the air, the “Wolf” made a swift return to competition by wrestling Dillon Danis in June.
Chimaev, 32, beat Conor McGregor’s former ally via pinfall, sparking a brawl between each fighter’s teams in the arena in St Louis, Missouri.
And Chimaev will make it back-to-back RAF bouts when he returns to the promotion’s mats on 5 September, facing former UFC welterweight king Woodley.
Woodley, 44, held the UFC’s 170lb title between 2016 and 2019, recording four successful defences before dropping the belt to Kamaru Usman.
The American never won another bout in the UFC, with the defeat by Usman kickstarting a four-fight losing streak. He then ventured into boxing, losing to YouTuber Jake Paul twice (on points then by KO) and UFC legend Anderson Silva by KO.
The latter result marked Woodley’s most-recent time competing, and it took place on the undercard of Paul’s KO loss to Anthony Joshua in December.
Woodley will therefore be making his RAF debut when he faces Chimaev in Moscow, in the latter’s home country of Russia.
Chimaev has been linked to a title rematch with Strickland later this year, after their UFC clash went down as one of the most-anticipated fights of the year.
The pair are former sparring partners, and a bitter build-up saw excitement swell ahead of their title fight in Newark, New Jersey. Strickland, 35, then won a surprising decision, before the American and Chimaev appeared on good terms in the aftermath of the contest – to the bemusement of many fans.
