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Retired UFC champion Lawler returns to wrestling mats to face Chimaev at RAF 14

Robbie Lawler will make his Real American Freestyle debut against Khamzat Chimaev in a catchweight wrestling bout at RAF 14 on October 23 in Las Vegas — the 44-year-old's first competition since retiring from MMA in 2023.

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Retired UFC champion Lawler returns to wrestling mats to face Chimaev at RAF 14
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Robbie Lawler is stepping back onto the wrestling mats for the first time since his teenage years, with Real American Freestyle announcing on Wednesday that the UFC Hall of Famer will face Khamzat Chimaev in a catchweight bout at RAF 14 on October 23 at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

Lawler, 44, last competed in MMA in July 2023 when he knocked out Niko Price at UFC 290 before announcing his retirement. A former UFC welterweight champion, Lawler was an all-state high school wrestler in Bettendorf, Iowa, but never pursued the sport beyond that level — making this RAF appearance a genuine first at the elite competitive stage.

Chimaev, a three-time Swedish national wrestling champion, has taken to RAF with ease since transitioning following his UFC middleweight title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328. The fighter known as “Borz” is 2-0 in the promotion, recording fall victories over both Dillon Danis and Tyron Woodley.

The Lawler-Chimaev matchup adds considerable star power to an RAF 14 card already headlined by an RAF title bout between Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis.

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