The assumption was that a marquee star like Khamzat Chimaev was financially secure within the UFC, but his latest move to another promotion has shattered that perception and reignited a fierce debate about fighter pay. The reigning UFC middleweight champion is the latest star from Dana White’s promotion to join Real American Freestyle (RAF) to compete in professional wrestling between his MMA bouts. However, Chimaev’s joining a promotion like RAF Wrestling has prompted fans to revisit the long-standing debate over whether UFC stars are fairly compensated within the promotion.

During the RAF 8 broadcast tonight, the promotion revealed through a video trailer that Khamzat Chimaev had finally signed with them. Though his signing is official, no opponent has been confirmed yet. However, he is expected to make his debut at RAF 10, which takes place on June 13 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis.

“Chimaev’s standout wrestling base has allowed him to physically dominate opponents en route to a 15-0 record in MMA,” an official release from the RAF read. “He previously competed in freestyle wrestling in Sweden and was undefeated across two Swedish Freestyle National Championships.

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“The signing continues to leave no doubt that RAF is the premier destination for the world’s best combat athletes to compete in previously impossible matchups. The league looks forward to upcoming events: RAF09 on May 30th in Dallas, featuring both Gable Steveson and Chris Weidman’s RAF debut, and RAF10 in St. Louis on June 13th.”  

Shortly after the announcement, Bo Nickal seized the opportunity and wrote on X, “Khamzat signing with @RAFWrestlingUSA that is very exciting. Let’s run it.” And he’s not the only one.

Before the announcement ever came, Olympic champion Kyle Snyder named Chimaev the only UFC champion he’d wrestle in RAF. “I’ve seen clips of him wrestling, and I think he’s pretty good… To me, that would be one of the only matches I’d be interested in,” he said. With all these prospective matches in the air, one would think fans would rejoice at the news. But no.

Following Chimaev’s signing with RAF, fans started calling out Dana White and the UFC for letting one of their biggest stars go on side quests just to earn bigger paychecks.   

Fans call out Dana White after Khamzat Chimaev signs with RAF

“BREAKING: Khamzat Chimaev has signed with Real American Freestyle 👀 (via @RAFWrestlingUSA)” Home of Fight posted on X. One fan chimed in and commented, “UFC letting their guys get active in RAF is shocking. I’m surprised they are willing to let an active champ sign. I wonder how soon after his fight with Sean he will wrestle?” This was followed by another user who quickly slammed Dana White: “UFC fighters are now seeking additional fighting jobs to stay financially afloat! Shame on Dana & Co.”

The UFC allows its fighters to compete in grappling events because it’s much safer than taking part in other combat sports. Hence, wrestling-based fighters like Arman Tsarukyan, Merab Dvalishvili, and others have turned to RAF to showcase their skills. Money is also a major factor for fighters joining the promotion.

Henry Cejudo once pitched Demetrious Johnson to wrestle in the RAF. The reason? ‘Triple C’ mentioned they paid good money, though he didn’t reveal how much. As a result, even a reigning champion like Khamzat Chimaev, who has revealed he earns more through sponsorship deals than his UFC championship fights, joining the RAF, where he can earn some extra bucks, is not surprising.

Questioning Khamzat’s activity, one user wrote, “RAF will see him once a year,” while another criticized ‘Borz’s UFC activity, writing, “Not active in UFC, almost 9–10 months to fight to defend your belt in UFC but yeah healthy for side quests.”

To be fair, Khamzat’s UFC career has definitely been marred by injury-related constraints, the latest being a foot injury after his fight with Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 last year, which sidelined him for almost nine months until he agreed to fight Sean Strickland. So, there are definitely some questions around the 185 lbs king’s consistency in competing, and it might affect RAF as well. Still, he remains one of the most well-known MMA fighters in the world, which is why some fans are expecting stellar wrestling matches.

One fan wrote, “Oh lord, he’s going to f—g maul whoever they put in front of him lmao,” while another claimed, “Khamzat vs Bo in RAF would be blockbuster.”

Well, there are definitely some blockbuster matchups featuring Khamzat Chimaev that could draw major attention. Nickal has already called out ‘Borz’ after his RAF signing, which would certainly be a marquee bout. Meanwhile, Chimaev vs Colby Covington is another fight the wrestling promotion would likely want to keep in its pipeline.