UAE's Chimaev headlines as RAF makes Middle East debut in sold-out Etihad Arena

With a packed Etihad Arena, a star-studded line-up and a series of memorable performances, RAF's first event in the Middle East made a major statement about its ambitions in the region.RAF celebrates successful Abu Dhabi debutDubai: Flying the UAE flag, Khamzat Chimaev needed less than two minutes to overcome Chris Weidman as Real American Freestyle (RAF) made its Middle East debut with a sold-out spectacular at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena.

The inaugural event featured a 13-bout programme bringing together some of the biggest names in wrestling and mixed martial arts, including Chimaev, Arman Tsarukyan, Merab Dvalishvili and Julianna Peña.

There was also a late change to the line-up, with 21-year-old amateur wrestler Saba Lazishvili stepping in on Friday night to replace Umar Nurmagomedov and make his debut.

With both Chimaev and Weidman having previously been UFC middleweight champions, their main-event meeting promised a high standard of wrestling. However, it was the UAE-based Chimaev who took control from the outset, overpowering his American opponent despite being the smaller of the two competitors.

Chimaev secured victory by technical fall to claim the Light Heavyweight Crossover Championship belt before sending a message to anyone willing to challenge him.

“Anyone who wants me — fight, grapple, wrestle — I’m here and I’m always ready.”

Tsarukyan enjoyed a similarly dominant evening in the co-main event, making light work of Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Neiman Gracie.

The UFC's No. 1 lightweight contender repeatedly took his opponent down and turned him onto his back before securing a 10-0 technical fall victory inside the opening round.

“Nobody cares if he’s big or not, I always do my job: fight no matter,” said Tsarukyan, who celebrated with the Catchweight Crossover belt.

“And thank you Abu Dhabi: This is one of the best places to compete facilities, people, crowd…”

While Chimaev and Tsarukyan delivered impressive victories, one of the loudest reactions of the evening came following Lazishvili's unexpected triumph over Urijah Faber.

The 21-year-old Georgian was competing at professional level for the first time and entered the contest as the underdog against a decorated American who is a UFC Hall of Famer and former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion.

After being taken down early and finding himself at a disadvantage, Lazishvili mounted an impressive comeback to secure a 12-7 decision victory

RAF presenter Chael Sonnen had already labelled him “wrestling’s newest star”, and the youngster showed why with a fearless performance.

Asked about his approach to the contest, Lazishvili admitted he had not gone in with a detailed game plan.

“I didn’t have any strategy,” he responded candidly. “I had an opportunity and took it. I will fight everyone, wrestle everyone, I don’t need any tactics. I will be champion of UFC in the future.”

Speaking to reporters afterwards, he added: “It was unexpected for me to even come here to watch, let alone compete, so it is a dream come true to be here now having won.”

The evening began with a pipe band performance before the national anthems of the UAE and United States were played to mark the occasion.

American Kennedy Blades then got the action underway in one of five championship contests, successfully defending her Women's Middleweight title against compatriot Bella Mir.

The Olympic silver medallist produced a dominant display, winning by technical fall with just 30 seconds remaining in the opening round.

“It’s great to be wrestling in iconic Abu Dhabi,” she said.

Zahid Valencia, better known by his nickname Z-Money, also entertained the crowd with an extravagant entrance, throwing banknotes into the air as he made his way towards the mat.

He backed up the showmanship with a hard-fought victory over Bahrain's Khidir Saipudinov, edging a decision after three competitive rounds.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Valencia after recording his fifth successive victory. “I love doing this; taking on the best and winning. I want to continue wrestling the best in the world.”

Georgian star Merab Dvalishvili also had plenty to celebrate after recovering from an early points deficit against Marlon Moraes.

The former UFC champion demonstrated his resilience before taking his experienced opponent down and pinning him inside 90 seconds.

With the crowd firmly behind him, Dvalishvili jumped to his feet following the victory, grabbed his national flag and acknowledged the thousands of fans inside the arena.

“The arena was full and they all enjoy it and you know we have lots of people watching on TV too,” Dvalishvili said.

“I’m sure RAF is going to just grow and grow. Everyone is doing a great job and I’m very grateful to be part of it.”

Elsewhere on the card, Diana Avsaragova defeated Julianna Peña, while Kyle Snyder successfully defended his Light Heavyweight Championship against Shamil Erdogan.

Murtaza Talha also recorded a victory over Olympic bronze medallist Mohammed El Saidy, while 2012 Olympic gold medallist Jordan Burroughs showed he still has plenty to offer by defeating Azamat Nurykau on points.

There were further victories for Abdulrashid Sadulaev over Dauren Kurugliev and Zabit Magomedsharipov against Giga Chikadze.

Kyle Dake also extended his remarkable championship run, defending his Cruiserweight title for the sixth consecutive time with a technical fall victory over Alp Arslan Begenjov.

For RAF CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein, the sold-out event represented a successful introduction to a new market and the beginning of an exciting partnership with Abu Dhabi.

Bronstein praised the collaboration behind the scenes, highlighting the joint efforts that helped deliver the inaugural show.

“The group we work with here, they treated us like a partnership,” said Bronstein.

“They didn't leave us hanging: Every ticket sale, every marketing execution, everything we did, we did together. What we saw tonight is Abu Dhabi is the best. This is the sports capital right here. We knew we were going to sell out because we're all competitive and we work really well together, so we're excited to continue. I can't speak any more highly of the experience we've had here.”

With a packed Etihad Arena, a star-studded line-up and a series of memorable performances, RAF's first event in the Middle East made a major statement about its ambitions in the region.