Umar Nurmagomedov is stepping away from the Octagon and onto the wrestling mats for his next competitive appearance.
The former UFC bantamweight title challenger will make his Real American Freestyle debut against UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber on November 14 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
The matchup gives Nurmagomedov an unusual opportunity to compete outside MMA just months after suffering the first knockout loss of his professional career. The 30-year-old was stopped by Song Yadong in the fifth round of their UFC Shanghai main event in August.
Umar Nurmagomedov And Urijah Faber Set For RAF Abu Dhabi Showdown
Nurmagomedov enters RAF with a 20-2 professional MMA record and an 8-2 run inside the UFC. Before the setback against Yadong, he had rebuilt momentum with consecutive decision victories over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo.
His previous loss came against then-UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 in January 2025, making the Song defeat his second consecutive setback at the highest level.
Faber brings considerably more wrestling and MMA experience to the matchup. The longtime UFC veteran and Hall of Famer has already competed twice under the RAF banner, although neither appearance ended with his hand raised.
“The California Kid” suffered a technical-fall defeat to Henry Cejudo at RAF 6 in February before Arman Tsarukyan handed him another loss at RAF 8 in April. Faber will now look to finally secure his first RAF victory against Nurmagomedov.
The Abu Dhabi event will feature several other high-profile names from the UFC world.
RAF Light Heavyweight Champion Kyle Snyder is scheduled to face undefeated Shamil Erdogan, while the main event will see Khamzat Chimaev collide with Colby Covington for the RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title.
More matchups and broadcast details for RAF Abu Dhabi are expected to be announced ahead of the November 14 event.
