Colby Covington out injured as Chris Weidman steps in to face Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Abu Dhabi

The UFC Hall of Famer takes the match on short notice, with the inaugural RAF light heavyweight crossover title on the line at the Etihad Arena on Saturday.

Colby Covington has been forced out of his Real American Freestyle main event against Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi through injury, and Chris Weidman steps in on short notice, RAF announced on Monday.

Chimaev and Weidman will now wrestle for the inaugural RAF light heavyweight crossover title in the main event at the Etihad Arena on Saturday 14 November. The card starts at 4pm UK and Irish time.

Chimaev had been due to challenge for Covington's RAF cruiserweight crossover title. Covington won that belt by beating Arman Tsarukyan and defended it against Belal Muhammad in September, but was submitted by Raul Rosas Jr in under a minute at a Hype FC show in Rome earlier this month.

It will be Weidman's second RAF match. The former UFC middleweight champion lost to Covington on his RAF debut, and he was also beaten by Pat Downey in Fury Pro Grappling after the end of his UFC career.

Chimaev had warned Covington before the switch. Asked by MMA Fighting what facing Covington in Abu Dhabi meant to him, Chimaev said: "That means I can break his neck, finally... So I know he's not happy to come over there, so he will need ambulance to send him back."

Kyle Snyder, Bella Mir and Kyle Dake are in title matches on the card, Zabit Magomedsharipov faces UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze, and Merab Dvalishvili also competes.

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