Chimaev and Woodley collide in RAF Moscow catchweight main event

Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley square off in the main event of RAF Moscow at the Mytishchi Arena on Saturday, with both men looking to build on winning debuts under the RAF banner.

The catchweight clash is the centrepiece of a thirteen-bout card that reads like a who’s who of combat sports crossover talent. Chimaev, who made a much-anticipated return to RAF competition in his debut, faces arguably his most recognisable opponent yet in Woodley, the former long-reigning UFC welterweight titleholder.

Two championship bouts add further weight to the card. Kyle Snyder meets Akhmed Tazhudinov for the light heavyweight title, while Kyle Dake takes on Kadik 2 for the cruiserweight championship. Kennedy Blades also defends or contests the middleweight championship against Vusala Parfianovich.

Elsewhere on the card, unbeaten UFC middleweight contender Bo Nickal faces Shirvani Muradov, and Shara Magomedov — another fighter with a high UFC profile — takes on Neiman Gracie. Olympic wrestling gold medallist Abdulrashid Sadulaev is matched against Zac Braunagel, and decorated NCAA champion Jordan Burroughs meets Magomed Kurbanaliev in what promises to be one of the more technically absorbing bouts of the afternoon.

Anatoly Malykhin, Zahid Valencia, Jason Nolf, Yusuf Raisov, and Vito Arujau round out a card that underlines RAF’s continued push to attract elite combat sports athletes from across disciplines.