Umar Nurmagomedov signs with RAF and faces Urijah Faber in Abu Dhabi debut

Umar Nurmagomedov is stepping away from the octagon and onto the wrestling mats, signing with Real American Freestyle and making his promotional debut against Urijah Faber at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14 at Etihad Arena.

The move comes in the wake of a stunning knockout loss to Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Shanghai in August — a setback that ended a run of form that had seen the 30-year-old post consecutive decision wins over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo. Those victories had followed a decision defeat to then-champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 in January 2025, where Nurmagomedov fell short in his first shot at UFC gold.

Faber, meanwhile, is seeking his first RAF victory at the third time of asking. The veteran known as “The California Kid” suffered tech fall losses in both previous appearances — to Henry Cejudo in the main event of RAF 6 in February, and to Arman Tsarukyan two months later at RAF 8.

The RAF Abu Dhabi card is headlined by a cruiserweight crossover title match, with Colby Covington defending against former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.