Real American Freestyle (RAF) has announced that Khamzat Chimaev will headline their RAF 10 event in St. Louis on June 13, facing Dillon Danis. The event will take place at Chaifetz Arena and will feature the duo in a catchweight bout. This marks Chimaev’s debut with the promotion, which specializes in unscripted freestyle wrestling events incorporating MMA and grappling talent. The card is set to stream live on Fox Nation.
This fight comes shortly after Chimaev’s first professional MMA loss, where he narrowly lost the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 328 on May 9. Prior to this defeat, Chimaev had an undefeated record, securing the middleweight championship by defeating Dricus du Plessis in August of the previous year.
Chimaev, a 32-year-old fighter of Chechen-Swedish origin, has a strong wrestling background, having achieved national success in freestyle wrestling and holding multiple Swedish titles. He also possesses a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and had amassed a perfect 15-0 MMA record with numerous first-round finishes before his recent loss.
Dillon Danis, a 32-year-old native of New Jersey, comes from a distinguished grappling lineage. He earned his black belt in BJJ under the renowned Marcelo Garcia and has achieved notable success in grappling competitions, including winning the 2016 Pan No-Gi Championship. Danis also has two submission victories in Bellator MMA and recently claimed the inaugural Misfits MMA light heavyweight title by submission. He made his RAF debut at RAF 7, where he faced Colby Covington.
The rivalry between Chimaev and Danis is well-documented, with Danis having a history of engaging with fighters connected to Chimaev’s circle. This animosity has previously led to altercations and has been a source of online tension, particularly after Chimaev’s recent UFC loss.
RAF 10 will feature several other compelling matchups, including Tony Ferguson against Arman Tsarukyan in the co-main event. The card also includes bouts featuring Rizabek Aitmukhan vs. Hayden Zillmer, Lance Palmer vs. Aaron Pico, and Haji Aliyev vs. Sebastian Rivera.
Chimaev’s recent signing with RAF signifies the promotion’s ambition to attract high-profile talent and expand into larger venues like Chaifetz Arena, which has a capacity of approximately 10,000 spectators. This main event is expected to pit Chimaev’s freestyle wrestling strengths against Danis’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expertise in a pure wrestling format.
English Translation:
Real American Freestyle (RAF) has announced that Khamzat Chimaev will headline their RAF 10 event in St. Louis on June 13, facing Dillon Danis. The event will take place at Chaifetz Arena and will feature the duo in a catchweight bout. This marks Chimaev’s debut with the promotion, which specializes in unscripted freestyle wrestling events incorporating MMA and grappling talent. The card is set to stream live on Fox Nation.
This fight comes shortly after Chimaev’s first professional MMA loss, where he narrowly lost the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 328 on May 9. Prior to this defeat, Chimaev had an undefeated record, securing the middleweight championship by defeating Dricus du Plessis in August of the previous year.
Chimaev, a 32-year-old fighter of Chechen-Swedish origin, has a strong wrestling background, having achieved national success in freestyle wrestling and holding multiple Swedish titles. He also possesses a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and had amassed a perfect 15-0 MMA record with numerous first-round finishes before his recent loss.
Dillon Danis, a 32-year-old native of New Jersey, comes from a distinguished grappling lineage. He earned his black belt in BJJ under the renowned Marcelo Garcia and has achieved notable success in grappling competitions, including winning the 2016 Pan No-Gi Championship. Danis also has two submission victories in Bellator MMA and recently claimed the inaugural Misfits MMA light heavyweight title by submission. He made his RAF debut at RAF 7, where he faced Colby Covington.
The rivalry between Chimaev and Danis is well-documented, with Danis having a history of engaging with fighters connected to Chimaev’s circle. This animosity has previously led to altercations and has been a source of online tension, particularly after Chimaev’s recent UFC loss. Fans are anticipating increased social media trash talk surrounding this matchup.
RAF 10 will feature several other compelling matchups, including Tony Ferguson against Arman Tsarukyan in the co-main event. The card also includes bouts featuring Rizabek Aitmukhan vs. Hayden Zillmer, Lance Palmer vs. Aaron Pico, and Haji Aliyev vs. Sebastian Rivera.
Chimaev’s recent signing with RAF signifies the promotion’s ambition to attract high-profile talent and expand into larger venues like Chaifetz Arena, which has a capacity of approximately 10,000 spectators. This main event is expected to pit Chimaev’s freestyle wrestling strengths against Danis’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expertise in a pure wrestling format.