Khamzat Chimaev may have accidentally revealed his next Real American Freestyle (RAF) opponent before the promotion had a chance to make the announcement itself.

Tonight, the former UFC middleweight champion will face a familiar challenger in Gilbert Burns at RAF 13 in Florida. But while ‘Borz’ is busy preparing for Burns, his next challenge may already be lined up, with Colby Covington waiting for him at RAF’s upcoming event in Abu Dhabi. During the RAF 13 pre-fight presser, Khamzat Chimaev appeared to let the matchup slip when discussing Covington, who is headlining the same event against Belal Muhammad tonight.

“Colby is not in the UFC right now,” Chimaev said. “So, I think we are gonna wrestle in Abu Dhabi.”

Realizing the UFC star had just jumped the gun with the announcement, RAF co-founder Izzy Martinez, seated next to Chimaev, gave out a wry smile.

“Maybe I announced it too early. Sorry, guys,” Chimaev added awkwardly.

Hearing the former champ’s apology, Martinez patted Chimaev on the back as the reporters burst out laughing.

RAF has scheduled its next freestyle wrestling event for November 15 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, but the promotion has yet to announce any matchups for the card. This suggests that a bout between Covington and Chimaev for the RAF Crossover Cruiserweight title will in all likelihood headline the card, provided, of course, Covington defends his title against Belal Muhammad tonight.

Colby Covington, for his part, has also provided some clues about the potential clash. Though ‘Chaos’ did not directly announce the matchup, he told MMA Junkie that he would welcome a fight against Chimaev at 180 pounds. That is the weight at which he competes in the UFC, rather than the 200-pound limit he said RAF was considering for the bout.

With both fighters discussing the potential matchup, the Abu Dhabi card appears to be taking shape.

In fact, Khamzat Chimaev had already laid the groundwork for a meeting with Covington several months ago. Back in March, the former UFC middleweight champion called out ‘Chaos’ on X.

“Next RAF I will make American boy humble again,” Chimaev wrote on X. “Colbiclown let’s go.”

The callout was followed by Chimaev officially signing with RAF on April 18. Since then, both fighters have quickly established themselves in the promotion.

Covington, who officially left the UFC in May this year, currently has the stronger RAF record. After stepping into freestyle wrestling with the RAF, ‘Chaos’ has won four consecutive matches, with his most recent victory coming against Chimaev’s friend and training partner, Arman Tsarukyan. If he defeats Muhammad tonight, the former UFC interim welterweight champion will extend his RAF record to 5-0.

Chimaev, meanwhile, has two wins in the RAF. He first defeated Dillon Danis at RAF 10 in June and then Tyron Woodley at RAF Moscow earlier this month. A win over Burns tonight would give ‘Borz’ three victories in the promotion.

That makes tonight’s results particularly important if the Abu Dhabi card has to go ahead as planned. Both fighters would be putting their respective momentum on the line before meeting each other in November.

And while the two are now set to potentially meet on the wrestling mat, their rivalry goes back much further.

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington: a history of bad blood

Before retiring from the UFC, Colby Covington had animosity with almost all the notable fighters, and some of those rivalries are still ongoing. He picked a bone with Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier, and has also had beef with Jon Jones. Unsurprisingly, Khamzat Chimaev’s name was also on that list when he used to compete in the 170-pound division.

In 2023, Covington claimed that Chimaev was dodging a potential matchup against him in the UFC. However, ‘Borz’ starkly refuted his claims, saying UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby contacted him four times for the fight, and each time he accepted. Because of this, the former middleweight champion called Covington a “liar” for spreading misinformation about the matchup.

“I reacted like he’s a liar,” Chimaev told MMA Fighting in 2023. “He lies. They called me four times; why didn’t it happen? They wanted it, the UFC wanted it, why didn’t it happen? Someone said, ‘No.’ I know it’s not me. I go out with the media at that time, and he was fighting.

“I showed it to everyone. I want a fight with Colby. I posted a picture on Instagram, I tweeted, everywhere I spoke about that I want to make a show, and that will be an amazing fight.”

The UFC matchup never came together during either fighter’s time in the promotion. Now, after years of back-and-forth, Chimaev and Covington could finally share the same competitive platform.

The only difference is that this time, there will be no punches or kicks. If the Abu Dhabi matchup is finalized as expected, their long-running rivalry will finally be settled on the wrestling mat.