Khamzat Chimaev is gearing up for his first middleweight title defense, but that hasn’t stopped him from exploring opportunities outside the UFC. The Chechen champion has recently signed a contract with Real American Freestyle Wrestling, adding another layer to his already busy schedule. Now, Dana White has weighed in on Chimaev’s ventures beyond the promotion.

The 31-year-old is scheduled to face Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Meanwhile, an announcement during RAF 08 on Saturday revealed that Chimaev could potentially compete again—likely at RAF 10—after his UFC bout. The question remains: is Dana White on board with this move?

“Good for them,” White said when asked about it. “I hope it works out for them.” Dana White when asked about RAF using a lot of UFC talent for their events: Good for them. I hope it works out for them. pic.twitter.com/mkVEw341nL — Jed I.

Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 19, 2026 Although the two promotions don’t have a partnership in place, they do have a working relationship. The UFC often allows its fighters to compete in the promotion to keep skills sharp, compete more frequently between MMA bouts, and increase their brand visibility. Chimaev joins fighters like Arman Tsarukyan and Colby Covington, who have been competing in the RAF.

As for Chimaev, although he has a full-fledged MMA career, he started wrestling after he moved to Sweden. While there, he competed in numerous tournaments and put together an impressive resume. But instead of chasing international titles in wrestling, he decided to pursue MMA, which eventually led him to the UFC.

Since joining the promotion, Khamzat Chimaev has become a dominant force within the UFC. He remains undefeated and picked up his first title by defeating Dricus Du Plessis last year. But his new contract with the RAF brings up an interesting question: who will he end up fighting on the mat?

Khamzat Chimaev already has a potential opponent Even in the rare chance that Chimaev loses to Sean Strickland, he will have to fight on the mat. And for that fight, Olympic champion Kyle Snyder has challenged Chimaev and welcomes a fight with open hands. “I’ve seen clips of him wrestling, and I think he’s pretty good,” Snyder told MMA Fighting.

“He’s similar to Arman [Tsarukyan] where you watch him wrestle, and you’re like, wow, pretty good. They know what they’re doing. So I think that’s an interesting matchup.” Notably, Snyder defended his RAF Light Heavyweight Championship against Rizabek Aitmukhan in the co-main event of RAF 08.

This was Snyder’s second RAF appearance. He won the vacant light heavyweight title at RAF 07 by beating Akhmed Tazhudinov 3-3 on criteria. Despite Snyder’s challenge, it remains to be seen who Khamzat Chimaev ends up fighting in his RAF debut. For now, though, he is focused on defending his title against Sean Strickland.