For a former middleweight champion who earned legendary status by ending Anderson Silva’s 17-fight, seven-year UFC winning streak, Chris Weidman has landed himself a daunting assignment. The 42-year-old will now face another former UFC middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev, in the main event of RAF’s (Real American Freestyle) debut event in Abu Dhabi on November 14. And the surprise matchup came together after Colby Covington pulled out of his highly anticipated wrestling showdown with Chimaev.

“Colby Covington is out!” the post from Home of Fight read. “Khamzat Chimaev will now face Chris Weidman at RAF Abu Dhabi this week.”

The announcement followed reports that Colby Covington had withdrawn from the event because of an undisclosed injury. His exit has handed Weidman a late opportunity, but it has also changed the nature of Chimaev’s assignment.

The original matchup against Covington was scheduled to be Chimaev’s first title fight in RAF for Covington’s cruiserweight crossover title. With Chris Weidman stepping in, the contest has reportedly been scaled down to a wrestling match for the vacant light heavyweight crossover title. Khamzat Chimaev, for his part, wasn’t particularly pleased with the change.

“Colbi is not coming,” he wrote on X. “He is scared.”

The change is a notable one for an event that features 14 matches at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, with four RAF championships on the line. The card also includes several prominent wrestling and UFC names, including Jordan Burroughs, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Chimaev’s friend Arman Tsarukyan in the co-main event.

Despite their heated rivalry, Covington and Chimaev have never actually faced each other. Chimaev made his RAF debut on June 13, 2026, defeating Dillon Danis. He followed that with victories over Tyron Woodley in September and Robbie Lawler in October, building momentum ahead of the planned title matchup with Covington.

Covington, meanwhile, has also enjoyed considerable success in the promotion. He remains unbeaten with a 5-0 RAF record, including a victory over Tsarukyan that earned him the RAF cruiserweight crossover championship and a subsequent win over former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

However, his recent schedule has been less straightforward. Last week, Covington suffered a 40-second submission loss to UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. at Hype FC’s submission-only event in Rome, Italy.

“I just came out a little slow,” Covington said, reflecting on the loss. “This is the first time I’ve done jiu-jitsu in years. Every setback is a good opportunity for a comeback. I will get my hand raised next time.”

While it’s not clear if the defeat to Raul Rosas Jr. contributed to his decision to pull out of the bout against Chimaev, it’s not hard to imagine the loss having an impact on him days before a title match.

Regardless, his latest withdrawal also isn’t the first time a scheduled appearance has fallen through for Colby Covington.

Last month, the former UFC interim welterweight champion pulled out of a proposed matchup at Hype Fighting Championship in Quito, Ecuador, citing medical reasons. Before his scheduled September meeting with Belal Muhammad, a proposed July matchup between the two had also fallen apart, with Covington blaming Muhammad for “unprofessional behavior.” A potential matchup against Sean Strickland reportedly collapsed over disagreements about weight.

That history makes the latest withdrawal another talking point, particularly given Covington’s reputation for being a reliable competitor throughout his decade-long UFC career.

Colby Covington, Khamzat Chimaev & Chris Weidman: Three names, several twists

Covington isn’t the only fighter involved who has experienced a disrupted matchup. Chimaev has also had his share of fight cancellations during his UFC run.

One notable example came ahead of his scheduled bout against Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 on June 22, 2024. Chimaev pulled out after falling ill and was replaced by Ikram Aliskerov.

His scheduled main event against Nate Diaz at UFC 279 also took an unexpected turn. Chimaev missed weight ahead of their September 10, 2022, matchup, forcing the UFC to reshuffle the card and pair him with Kevin Holland instead. A year later, he was scheduled to face Paulo Costa, but the Brazilian withdrew after undergoing surgery for an arm infection and was replaced by Kamaru Usman.

Chris Weidman, too, has had his share of injury-related setbacks during his UFC career, with scheduled appearances affected by injuries and subsequent surgeries. However, stepping in as a replacement for either Chimaev or Covington is a different proposition altogether. This time, the two-time NCAA Division I All-American is the one being called upon to save a main event at short notice.

And that may be a recurring headache for RAF.

The promotion’s crossover division relies heavily on active or recently retired UFC fighters, All-Americans, and Olympic-level wrestlers. While that mix gives the events plenty of recognizable names, it also means RAF is dependent on athletes who often have competing commitments, injuries, and other scheduling demands.

Chris Weidman’s late addition has kept the Abu Dhabi main event intact, but it has also exposed the underlying challenge of putting together crossover matchups involving such a high-profile roster.