Khamzat Chimaev pinned Tyron Woodley 94 seconds into their catchweight freestyle-wrestling match outside Moscow on Saturday, September 5, 2026, ending the RAF Moscow main event at 1:34 of the opening period. The event had been moved from its originally announced arena two days earlier over U.S. sanctions concerns.
The card is called RAF Moscow, and it’s run by Real American Freestyle (RAF), a freestyle-wrestling promotion — not an MMA or UFC card, even though its headliners built their names in the Octagon. The main event pits Khamzat Chimaev, the former UFC middleweight champion, against Tyron Woodley, the former UFC welterweight champion, in a catchweight match.
Key facts
- Event: RAF Moscow, a catchweight freestyle-wrestling card run by Real American Freestyle (RAF) — not an MMA or UFC event.
- Main event: Khamzat Chimaev (former UFC middleweight champion) vs. Tyron Woodley (former UFC welterweight champion), catchweight.
- Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026.
- Venue: Arena Mytishchi, Moscow Oblast — switched from the originally booked VTB Arena about two days before the event, reportedly to avoid exposing RAF to U.S. sanctions on Russia.
- Betting line: Chimaev a -10000 favorite; Woodley a +3000 underdog (DraftKings Sportsbook).
- U.S. streaming: Fox Nation reportedly declined to stream the event; no alternative broadcast has been reported.
- Card size: 13 bouts total, including a 215-pound co-main event between Abdulrashid Sadulaev and Zac Braunagel.
- Result: Chimaev won by pin at 1:34 of the opening period — 94 seconds.
The venue changed with barely two days’ notice
RAF originally booked VTB Arena in Moscow for the event. Roughly two days before fight night, the promotion abruptly moved the card to Arena Mytishchi (also called Mytishchi Arena), about 20 miles away in Moscow Oblast. Multiple outlets, including MMAmania and Yardbarker, report the switch was made to avoid exposing RAF — a U.S.-based promotion — to United States sanctions against Russia. ESPN had reported weeks earlier that holding the event at VTB Arena would likely run afoul of those sanctions, since the arena’s operator is tied to VTB Bank and BM-Bank, both already under U.S. sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine. No official statement from RAF or a U.S. government agency was found confirming that rationale — it’s what the reporting on the switch says, not a confirmed policy determination. Some older previews, including one from DraftKings Network dated the day before the event, still list VTB Arena; Arena Mytishchi is the current, confirmed location.
Can you actually watch it in the U.S.?
Here’s the practical snag for American fans: Fox Nation, which had been expected to stream RAF Moscow for U.S. audiences, reportedly declined to stream the event. It isn’t clear whether the late venue change played into that decision — the reporting doesn’t say. No alternative U.S. broadcast or streaming option has been reported.
What each fighter brings in
Chimaev is 1-0 in RAF, having pinned Dillon Danis in his promotional debut in June 2026. Woodley’s most recent RAF appearance came at RAF 12 in Cleveland on August 22, 2026, against Joaquin Buckley, where he trailed 8-1 before scoring 13 unanswered points to close it out 14-8. That win was his first in any combat sport since he submitted Darren Till at UFC 228 back in September 2018. DraftKings Sportsbook has priced Chimaev as a heavy -10000 favorite against a +3000 underdog line for Woodley.
The rest of a 13-bout card
Chimaev-Woodley isn’t the only notable matchup. The co-main event is a 215-pound bout between Abdulrashid Sadulaev and Zac Braunagel. Beyond that, several more familiar wrestling names fill out the rest of the card.
- Kyle Snyder is defending his RAF Light Heavyweight Championship against 2024 Olympic champion Akhmed Tazhudinov.
- Jordan Burroughs faces Magomed Kurbanaliev at 175 pounds, and Bo Nickal is on the card against Shirvani Muradov.
Kyle Dake is also defending the RAF Cruiserweight Championship, and Kennedy Blades defends a women’s middleweight title against Vusala Parfianovich, rounding out a card RAF says runs 13 matches in total.
How the 94 seconds went — and one circulating claim to ignore
Woodley shot first, going for a single-leg takedown. Chimaev defended it, denied Woodley the points, and scored twice himself on push-outs. He then reversed Woodley’s attack, slammed him and pinned his shoulders to the mat at 1:34 of the opening period. Chimaev is now 2-0 in RAF, after pinning Dillon Danis in his promotional debut in June 2026.
If you’ve come across a claim online that Woodley won this fight by rallying from an 8-1 deficit for his first win since 2018, that detail belongs to a different bout: it’s the record of his prior win over Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12 in August, not anything that happened in Moscow.