Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns are getting another date across from each other, only this one moves from the UFC cage to the wrestling mat. Real American Freestyle lists Chimaev vs. Burns as the catchweight co-main event for RAF 13 on Sept. 18 at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida.
The matchup gives RAF a recognizable rematch built on one of Chimaev’s wildest UFC wins. Chimaev beat Burns by unanimous decision at UFC 273 in April 2022, but Burns pushed him through three hard rounds in the first major scare of Chimaev’s unbeaten MMA rise.
RAF announced the Miami addition with a direct card post Wednesday.
“MIAMI’S CO-MAIN EVENT JUST DROPPED 🔥
Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns SEP 18 at #RAF13
Tickets in bio. Watch on @foxnation.”
MIAMI’S CO-MAIN EVENT JUST DROPPED 🔥
Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns SEP 18 at #RAF13
Tickets in bio. Watch on @foxnation pic.twitter.com/5t4CR4iVB6
— Real American Freestyle (@RAFWrestlingUSA) September 2, 2026
Burns kept his own response short after RAF tagged him into the announcement.
“Let’s wrestle”
Let’s wrestle
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 2, 2026
RAF Gives Chimaev And Burns A Different Kind Of Rematch
The official RAF 13 page lists Chimaev and Burns under the co-main event slot and labels the contest as a catchweight match. The same page has the Sept. 18 card starting at 8 p.m. ET in Miami, with the stream listed through Fox Nation.
Chimaev has already become one of RAF’s main crossover names. He is also scheduled for a separate RAF Moscow matchup with Tyron Woodley, extending a run that has kept him active in wrestling while his MMA name value remains huge.
Burns has leaned further into grappling after stepping away from MMA competition earlier this year. The former UFC welterweight title challenger submitted Horlando Monteiro in 82 seconds at a UFC BJJ event in June, which made a wrestling crossover less random than it might have looked on paper.
The original Chimaev-Burns fight still carries weight because Burns was the first opponent to make Chimaev look human at the highest level. Chimaev had finished his first four UFC opponents before Burns dragged him into a three-round war in Jacksonville. That shared history gives the Sept. 18 match more substance than a name-only booking.
RAF 13 already had a UFC-heavy flavor before this addition. Luke Rockhold vs. Joe Pyfer was previously added to the Miami lineup, and the promotion has kept loading cards with current and former MMA names. Chimaev vs. Burns now gives the show a co-main event that fans can understand immediately: two familiar rivals, a new rule set, and another chance to see who controls the clinch when punches are off the table.
The timing also keeps RAF in the middle of a busy stretch. MiddleEasy has already covered Tyron Woodley’s RAF comeback win over Joaquin Buckley, and Chimaev’s planned Woodley match comes before the Burns rematch. If both dates hold, Chimaev will have two high-profile wrestling appearances in less than two weeks.
