Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis nearly get into a street fight before RAF 10 wrestling match

Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis were involved in a close-quarters war of words ahead of their highly anticipated freestyle wrestling match. 

Chimaev -- a fighter born in Chechnya, Russia, who extensively trained in Sweden and has lately been based in the U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates) -- is widely regarded as one of the best grapplers in all of MMA. 

On the other hand, America's Danis is a multi-time BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) champion who's considered to be a crafty grappler in his own right.

Having previously worked with former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor as his training partner, Danis has often exchanged jibes with Chimaev on social media over the years. 

An apparent miscommunication almost culminated in fisticuffs between Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis

Khamzat Chimaev, one of the top stars in MMA today, is coming off a razor-thin split decision defeat against training partner-turned-rival Sean Strickland.

The fight marked Chimaev's first MMA loss and saw him drop the UFC middleweight championship to America's Strickland. He's since called for a title rematch against Strickland. 

Speaking of which, Chimaev is now set to fight another American combatant, albeit in wrestling and not MMA. He'll take on Dillon Danis in a catchweight matchup under the RAF (Real American Freestyle) wrestling promotional banner. They'll headline RAF 10 in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 13. 

In a video posted to the official X handle of the RAF, Chimaev and Danis were seen in a run-in after their arrival in St. Louis. They were all smiles, with Danis even speculating that they could clash in Jiu-Jitsu or MMA. 

Also, Danis appeared to suggest that he'd finally come face to face with "Borz" and was saying whatever he wanted to him in person. Things seemingly escalated from there, as Chimaev questioned what Danis was attempting to convey. 

Upon Chimaev asking why he was alluding to something being personal, Danis said, "I didn't say personal. You said, 'Say it in person.'" Well, Danis then indicated that their feud wasn't personal and was simply business. 

The American later asserted that he's open to boxing against him or even taking him on in a street fight, but he also questioned why Chimaev's acquaintances were following him. Chimaev added, "Maybe street fight." 

Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis seemed open to a street fight, but cooler heads prevailed

The Chechen UFC superstar reassured Danis that his entourage members won't intervene in their potential street fight. Danis disagreed and said, "Why you don't do a one-on-one? Why do you have everybody around?" 

Chimaev clarified that they weren't going to touch him, adding that he's Chechen and signaling that their code would disallow them from making a one-on-one fight unfair by intervening. 

Danis expressed his disagreement yet again and said, "We know you attack in groups." Chimaev disapprovingly retorted, "That's your sh**... American people jumping on one." 

Thankfully, both entourages managed to separate Chimaev and Danis soon after they came face to face. The fighters and their respective entourages eventually went their separate ways after the close encounter. 

 

Watch Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis nearly get into a physical altercation and trade barbs below: 

CHIMAEV AND DANIS FACE TO FACE

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— Real American Freestyle (@RAFWrestlingUSA) June 11, 2026