Khamzat Chimaev set to face Robbie Lawler at RAF 14

Khamzat Chimaev will face Robbie Lawler in the RAF 14 co-main event. The former UFC middleweight champion will meet the former welterweight champion in a catchweight wrestling bout on Oct. 23 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, marking Lawler's return to competition after more than three years away from combat sports.

The matchup was announced by Real American Freestyle on Wednesday and will be part of a card headlined by Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis.

Robbie Lawler Returns to Competition

Since retiring from MMA in 2023, Lawler has not competed in any form of combat sports. More than three years later, the former UFC welterweight champion is set to return for a wrestling match against Chimaev in his debut at RAF. Lawler made his final Octagon appearance at UFC 290, when he stopped Niko Price by first-round knockout.

At 44 years old, Lawler will return to the mats for the first time since his high school wrestling days. Lawler was an all-state wrestler at Bettendorf High School in Iowa but did not continue competing in the sport after that period.

Lawler spent most of his professional career in MMA, becoming UFC welterweight champion in 2014 and defending the title twice before losing it to Tyron Woodley in 2016. He retired with a 30-16 record and one no contest.

Khamzat Chimaev Continues RAF Run

Chimaev, meanwhile, has quickly become one of RAF's most prominent MMA crossover athletes. The former UFC middleweight champion made his wrestling debut with the promotion earlier this year and has already faced Dillon Danis, Woodley and Gilbert Burns, winning all three matches.

In the UFC, Chimaev last stepped inside the Octagon in May, when he was defeated by Sean Strickland and lost the middleweight title. For now, Chimaev has no opponent or date yet to return to the cage.