Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington title match set to headline RAF Abu Dhabi in November

For Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev, someone's 'O' has to go.

The two on-again, off-again UFC rivals are to set to headline Real American Freestyle's maiden trip to Abu Dhabi, with Covington putting his RAF cruiserweight crossover championship on the line Nov. 14 in a title match against Chimaev at the Etihad Arena.

RAF officials announced the matchup early Tuesday morning.

Covington (5-0 RAF) has found a fitting new home for his skill set under the RAF banner. The former UFC interim welterweight champion and three-time UFC title challenger has ripped through five consecutive wins on the RAF mats in 2026. Covington's victories have come against a variety of familiar MMA names — he beat Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis and Chris Weidman in succession, before claiming the inaugural cruiserweight crossover title against Arman Tsarukyan in July.

Most recently, Covington notched the first defense of his belt with a lopsided 10-0 win over former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad earlier this month at RAF 13.

Chimaev (2-0 RAF), a former UFC middleweight champion, has found similar success in RAF. "The Wolf" smashed through Danis in just 45 seconds in his June debut, before repeating the favor with a 94-second drubbing of former UFC welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley at RAF Moscow.

Covington and Chimaev have traded shots at one another from afar for years, dating back to Chimaev's debut year in the UFC in 2020. Now, they'll finally get a chance to put each other to the test.

RAF additionally announced matches featuring Tsarukyan, Henry Cejudo, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev for its Abu Dhabi event, though opponents for all of those notable names have yet to be revealed.