Khamzat Chimaev does not believe injury is the real reason behind Colby Covington’s withdrawal.

The former UFC middleweight champion has been staying active away from the Octagon since his loss to Sean Strickland in May.

After wins over Dillon Danis, Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns, and Robbie Lawler under the Real American Freestyle banner, Chimaev’s first RAF title match will headline the promotion’s Abu Dhabi event this Saturday.

He was originally set to challenge for Covington’s cruiserweight crossover championship, but ‘Borz’ will now battle Chris Weidman for the light heavyweight crossover belt instead.

Who do you want to see battling it out on the RAF mats? 🤼

Some big names from the MMA world have already crossed over, including Khamzat Chimaev and Arman Tsarukyan.

Khamzat Chimaev says Colby Covington is ‘scared’ after injury cancels their RAF Abu Dhabi title match

After becoming the RAF cruiserweight crossover champion by beating Arman Tsarukyan, Covington defeated Belal Muhammad to successfully defend his belt for the first time.

‘Chaos’, who retired from UFC competition earlier this year, most recently took his talents elsewhere, headlining the Hype FC event in Rome last Tuesday.

Days after Covington was submitted by Raul Rosas Jr. in 37 seconds, an injury has now forced the Miami native to pull out of his RAF Abu Dhabi title defense against Chimaev.

It is safe to say that the Chechen UFC star does not believe that was the legitimate reason for Covington’s withdrawal on less than a week’s notice.

“(Colby) is not coming, he is scared,” Chimaev wrote on X.

One fan in the comments suggested that Strickland should step in, to which Chimaev responded, “He is scared too.”

Having seemingly missed out on an immediate UFC rematch with the middleweight champ, ‘Borz’ recently outlined his intention to wait to face the winner of Strickland vs Nassourdine Imavov in 2027.

The Chechen could have plenty of time to stay busy on the RAF mat in the coming months, and that could mean title defenses if he defeats UFC Hall of Famer Weidman in the Middle East on November 14.