Chimaev vs Covington: what changes under freestyle rules

Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington both came up in the cage, and neither will be in one. Real American Freestyle is wrestling under Olympic rules: no strikes, and no judges’ decision at the end.

Points come from takedowns, from turning an opponent, and from pushing him off the mat. A fall ends the match the moment it happens, whatever the score. So does technical superiority — a points gap wide enough that the referee stops it there.

That is why the card is published as an order of matches and not as a timetable: nobody can say how long any of them will run. Scoring is set out on the RAF Abu Dhabi tournament page, and what each man has done in the league is in the announcement published on 29 September.

One ticket covers all eight matches. Chimaev vs Covington tickets are on sale now.