Khamzat Chimaev vs Colby Covington - The Biggest Crossover Match Ever

Khamzat Chimaev took the combat world by storm when he introduced himself to the world on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi in 2020. When he was making his presence felt, one man was at the top of the division calling for him, Colby “Chaos” Covington.

Six year later, back where it all started, they both get their wish.

A perfect 5-0 under the RAF banner, Covington has taken out “wrestle-first” mixed martial artists, grappling aces, Division-I All-Americans and the face of RAF and passed with flying colors.

He’s been the smaller man multiple times and been the winner every time. With three tech falls to his name, Covington has proven time and time over he’s the man to see if it’s RAF hardware you’re after.

Long before getting his hands on UFC gold, Covington was a JuCo Wrestling National Championship winner and later a Division-1 All-American for Oregon State. His skillset has translated directly to the RAF mat and he’s proven to be the ultimate test for crossover stars.

Chimaev has entered the world of combat sports with such fury and domination that everybody along the way wonders what kind of force would he have been had he committed himself to freestyle wrestling full-time from the beginning.

“Borz” has a super-human strength and suffocating style that makes six minutes feel like a lifetime of misery. He hits like a truck, smothers like an avalanche and squeezes like an anaconda.

He’s got six Swedish National Titles to his name, the fastest pin in RAF history under his belt and a perfect 27-0 record in freestyle wrestling including two pinfalls in his three RAF matchups.

He’s got the wind at his back and is fighting in a city that has been very good to him, historically speaking, is RAF Abu Dhabi the beginning of the most dominant reign in RAF Crossover history?

The two have had their eyes on each other since Chimaev first took the Octagon and Covington seems to have been the only man to not fear the Russian. Finally it all comes to a head and the only question is will this be a passing of the guard, a new era or a new rivalry?

The keys to victory for Covington are to turn his relentless pace into a scoring advantage. Chimaev is a wrestler who appears to have the advantage in most departments but Covington’s cardio can serve as his strongest weapon. Wrestlers can start explosively and dangerous but Covington has shown he can convert sustained wrestling pressure into actual results. Chimaev is going to inevitably give him something he hasn’t felt in awhile but Covington’s experience and cardio will give Chimaev a feeling of desperation he’s likely never felt.

Covington can also utilize the highest wrestling IQ Chimaev has ever faced across all combat sports. He has been on the mat with the best wrestlers Sweden has had to offer, he has been in the cage with a D-2 National Champion but he’s never been on the mat with a D-1 All-American. This will give him an advantage in knowing when to strike, when to hang back, how much rope to give Chimaev and what bait to throw out.

For Chimaev he will need to make every scoring opportunity count for big points. He has a strength advantage and starts explosively. He will need to use that to turn early takedowns into gut wrenches and leg laces. Don’t settle for the easy two.

He will also look to utilize his size advantage. Covington has spent his entire career scoffing at “weight class bullies” and Chimaev competes healthily at a weight class above Covington. This gives “Borz” an extreme size advantage and thus an even stronger strength advantage. If he can make Covington carry his weight and fight through his grips, Covington will be using that extra lungpower just to stay afloat and not use it as an advantage.

Things will get contentious, things will get heated and it will all result in RAF gold being crowned after what could be the biggest crossover match of all time.

Catch Khamzat Chimaev vs Colby Covington LIVE Saturday, November 14 ONLY on FOX Nation!