A new championship bout awaits Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Abu Dhabi this Saturday.

While attention in the combat sports world turns to a championship double header at UFC 334 inside Madison Square Garden, a number of top MMA names will also be competing in the Middle East this week.

The surging Real American Freestyle organization will make its Abu Dhabi debut on November 14, with four title matches at the top of the card.

Headlining will be Chimaev, but the former UFC middleweight champion will be challenging for a different title and against a different opponent than he was expecting.

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.

Colby Covington replaced by Chris Weidman against Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Abu Dhabi

Chimaev’s first RAF title fight will close out Saturday’s lineup, but he will no longer be vying for Colby Covington’s crossover cruiserweight belt.

After beating Arman Tsarukyan to win that championship, ‘Chaos’ got the better of Belal Muhammad in September to record his first successful defense.

But after Covington was submitted by Raul Rosas Jr. in less than a minute under the Hype FC banner earlier this month, the Miami native is now injured.

With the former UFC star’s plan to make a quick turnaround falling through, RAF has announced that Chris Weidman will make the trip to Abu Dhabi.

Chimaev vs Weidman will now headline the card with the inaugural RAF light heavyweight crossover title on the line.

The UFC Hall of Famer is stepping up on short notice for his second outing in the RAF.

In his debut, the former middleweight champion inside the Octagon lost to Covington. That marked Weidman’s second defeat since ending his UFC career, having also been beaten by Pat Downey in Fury Pro Grappling.

Before he battles Chimaev, the RAF Abu Dhabi lineup also includes title bouts featuring Kyle Snyder, Bella Mir, and Kyle Dake.

Of interest to MMA fans will be the return of Zabit Magomedsharipov, who will meet UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze on the RAF mat.