Umar Nurmagomedov to face Faber in star-studded RAF Abu Dhabi Card

Umar Nurmagomedov will make his Real American Freestyle (RAF) debut against Urijah Faber, as one of MMA’s leading bantamweights meets one of the sport’s most accomplished veterans at RAF Abu Dhabi.

The event will take place at Etihad Arena, on Yas Island, on Saturday, November 14.

The event will be headlined by global combat sports superstar Khamzat Chimaev, who faces American Colby Covington for the RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title.

Nurmagomedov, who has seven submission wins in MMA, brings a strong wrestling and grappling background to the matchup. A native of Dagestan and a member of the renowned Nurmagomedov family, he will meet Faber, who returns for his third RAF match. Known as “The California Kid”, Faber is a former MMA champion and the founder of Team Alpha Male.

Also joining the card is reigning RAF Light Heavyweight Champion Kyle Snyder, who will face Shamil Erdogan. Snyder became the youngest American to win a senior world wrestling title and, over the past six months, has defeated four fellow Olympic medallists to win and defend the RAF Light Heavyweight title. Erdogan is a Dagestan-born Turkish athlete with a freestyle wrestling background and an unbeaten professional MMA record. He will make his RAF debut in Abu Dhabi on November 14.

The inaugural RAF Abu Dhabi event marks the start of a five-year partnership between Real American Freestyle, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), and the UAE Wrestling Federation. It follows RAF’s international events in Tbilisi, Georgia, and Moscow, Russia, as it continues to build its global professional wrestling platform.