Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington trade shots on social media
Khamzat Chimaev and former UFC welterweight Colby Covington found themselves in a recent spat in the comment section of an RAF Instagram post, with the ex-UFC middleweight champion expressing an interest in wrestling 'Chaos.'
Khamzat Chimaev popped up in the comment section of an Instagram video posted by the RAF, a freestyle wrestling promotion that has drawn significant attention as of late. The clip in question featured Colby Covington and Chris Weidman taking part in promotional material for their upcoming wrestling match later tonight (May 30) at RAF 09. However, Chimaev saw fit to inject himself into the situation by trash-talking both men.
Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington go back-and-forth
Although neither Colby Covington nor Chris Weidman made any mention of Khamzat Chimaev, 'Borz' still took it upon himself to belittle the UFC alumni's wrestling abilities with the following comment:
"Give me both of them say night."
However, Chimaev's claim that he could outwrestle both Covington and Weidman on the same night did not sit well with 'Chaos,' who replied directly under Chimaev's comment with a jab at the former UFC middleweight champion's cardio:
"Slow down c*mshot. Type anymore and you're gonna gas yourself out."
Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington go back and forth on IG
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 29, 2026
🗣️ Khamzat: "Give me both of them same night."
🗣️ Colby: "Slow down c*mshot. Type anymore and you're gonna gas yourself out again." 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/GZ3nUP4hJF
Chimaev has a history of slowing down in certain fights, most notably in his failed middleweight title defense at UFC 328 against Sean Strickland, against whom he gassed out after round one, in which Chimaev was relatively dominant with his wrestling. He had similar issues with his gas tank at UFC 294, where he visibly tired after round one against the great Kamaru Usman, who dragged him to a majority decision, which Chimaev won. Before that, he had also tired against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, where 'Borz' had his most grueling and damaging fight, despite winning via unanimous decision after three rounds.
An RAF match with Covington wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for Chimaev, who is an experienced and undefeated freestyle wrestler, with a 24-0 record. He last competed in freestyle wrestling on Nov. 19, 2021, already four fights into his UFC career. He faced fellow UFC middleweight Jack Hermansson at Bulldog Fight Night 9, scoring an 8-0 win. Now that Covington is no longer an active UFC fighter, having retired from MMA, there should be nothing preventing him and Chimaev from locking horns on the wrestling mat.
The two, after all, have history from their days as UFC welterweights, when both men aimed trash talk at each other.
