Khamzat Chimaev agrees Dillon Danis wrestling bout following UFC loss
Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev will face Dillon Danis in a freestyle wrestling match on 13 June, following his controversial title defeat by Sean Strickland at UFC 328.
The 32-year-old recently suffered the first loss of his professional career when he dropped a razor-thin split decision to the American.
Instead of an immediate return to the octagon, the Chechen-born fighter is temporarily stepping onto the wrestling mat.
He will headline the Real American Freestyle (RAF) 10 event at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.
His opponent will be controversial grappling specialist and Conor McGregor’s former training partner, Danis.
Rematch demands follow title loss
The wrestling exhibition comes amid swirling speculation about the former titleholder’s mixed martial arts future.
UFC president Dana White initially indicated the defeated champion planned to abandon the 185lb division to move up to light-heavyweight.
However, his management team has since clarified that regaining the middleweight crown remains their absolute priority.
The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants, he is obsessed with it. That’s the only fight he will accept right now.
His brother, Artur, confirmed the camp is targeting a second bout with Strickland at the promotion’s upcoming Abu Dhabi event in October.
Tsarukyan and Ferguson feature on undercard
The upcoming RAF 10 wrestling card will also feature several other high-profile mixed martial artists.
Arman Tsarukyan, a close teammate of the headline act, is scheduled to grapple with veteran UFC lightweight Tony Ferguson.
Meanwhile, highly-rated featherweight prospect Aaron Pico will take on Lance Palmer earlier in the evening.
The shift to wrestling offers a brief reset for the former champion following a deeply acrimonious build-up to UFC 328.
Pre-fight tensions between the middleweight rivals culminated in a physical altercation at the press conference and forced organisers to accommodate them in separate hotels.