Khamzat Chimaev Pins Tyron Woodley in 94 Seconds, Gilbert Burns Next
GOATIFYKhamzat Chimaev did not need an MMA cage to remind everyone how overwhelming his wrestling can be.
The former UFC middleweight champion needed only 94 seconds to pin former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in the RAF Moscow main event, dominating a matchup between two of the most recognizable grapplers to come through the Octagon.
Woodley entered with legitimate wrestling credentials of his own as a two-time NCAA All-American, but the size, speed and physical control of Chimaev proved too much almost immediately. A match that looked capable of producing a competitive wrestling battle instead turned into another short showcase for Chimaev.
The result also keeps Chimaev extremely active outside the UFC. He is already scheduled to return on September 18 in Miami against Gilbert Burns, another former UFC rival with whom he shared one of the toughest fights of his MMA career.
Chimaev Turned Woodley's First Attack Into a 94-Second Rout
Woodley was actually the first man to attack.
He shot deep on a single-leg takedown early, which made sense given his background and the fact that allowing Chimaev to dictate every exchange would have been a dangerous strategy. But Chimaev reacted quickly enough to shut the attempt down before the action returned to the feet.
From there, the momentum shifted almost completely.
Chimaev scored two points through push-outs and began forcing Woodley to react to him instead of the other way around. Woodley tried to work back inside, looking for another opportunity to attack the legs or drive Chimaev toward the boundary.
That opening became the decisive moment. Chimaev reversed position, lifted Woodley off the mat and slammed him back down before controlling both shoulders long enough for the referee to award the pin.
The official time was 1:34.
There was no extended scramble, no long hand-fighting battle and no late tactical shift. Chimaev took a wrestler with elite collegiate credentials and ended the match before two minutes had passed.
The Match Was a Reminder of What Makes Chimaev So Difficult
Chimaev has always been dangerous because his wrestling is not built around one takedown.
He can attack from distance, counter an opponent's shot, turn scrambles into dominant positions and use his size to make technically sound opponents feel physically overwhelmed. The Woodley match condensed all of those qualities into less than two minutes.
Woodley is not an easy opponent to bully on the mat. Long before he became UFC welterweight champion, wrestling was the foundation of his game. His college résumé and years of high-level MMA experience meant he understood exactly what Chimaev was trying to do.
Understanding it and stopping it were different problems.
Chimaev's ability to reverse Woodley's pressure and immediately turn defense into offense was the key sequence. Instead of simply escaping the position, he used it to lift and return Woodley to the mat in a way that put him directly into the finishing position.
The performance also reinforced why Chimaev remains such a compelling name even when he competes outside MMA. His style translates naturally to a wrestling format because the same traits that make him dangerous in the UFC—explosiveness, grip strength, pressure and scrambling instincts—remain central.
For a fighter whose UFC career has often been defined by questions about how opponents can survive his first wave, a 94-second pin felt very familiar.
Woodley's Wrestling Résumé Made the Result More Impressive
The speed of the finish can make the matchup look more one-sided on paper than it did before the opening whistle.
Woodley had reasons to believe he could make the match competitive. He had already won his RAF debut against Joaquin Buckley and brought a wrestling background far stronger than that of the average former MMA champion entering a freestyle event.
At Missouri, Woodley became a two-time All-American. During his UFC career, that wrestling base helped him control where fights took place while his punching power turned him into one of the most dangerous welterweights of his era.
He is now 44, and Chimaev had a clear size advantage at the 195-pound catchweight. Those factors mattered. Chimaev looked stronger in every exchange once contact was established, and Woodley's first attack did not create the kind of sustained scramble that might have slowed the favorite down.
Still, the loss does not erase the fact that Woodley appears to have found a competitive lane after MMA. His RAF debut showed he can still wrestle effectively, and the format gives him opportunities that do not require absorbing the striking damage of another cage fight.
Chimaev was simply a brutal matchup.
After the pin, the two shared a respectful moment, which fit the tone of a contest that was more about competitive wrestling than rebuilding an old UFC rivalry. The larger story was how easily Chimaev imposed his game on another former champion.
Gilbert Burns Is Already Waiting for Chimaev in Miami
There will not be much time for Chimaev to enjoy the Woodley result.
His next RAF match is already booked for September 18 in Miami against Gilbert Burns. The matchup immediately attracts UFC attention because Chimaev and Burns produced one of the most memorable fights of Chimaev's MMA career when they met in the Octagon.
This time the rules are different, and that changes the matchup significantly.
Burns is an elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner with years of MMA grappling experience, but freestyle wrestling removes the submission threat that would normally be one of his greatest weapons. Chimaev can attack positions with less concern about giving Burns access to chokes or joint locks.
Burns still presents a different challenge from Woodley. He is accustomed to aggressive scrambling, has spent his career competing against strong wrestlers and is comfortable turning bad positions into transitions.
For Chimaev, another dominant victory would continue building the same message he delivered in Moscow: whatever questions surround his future inside the UFC, the wrestling remains elite.
That is why these appearances matter to MMA fans even when the results do not count toward a UFC record. Chimaev is staying active against recognizable former UFC opponents, and every match gives another look at the weapon that has defined much of his career.
Woodley lasted 94 seconds. Burns gets the next opportunity to see whether he can make Chimaev work longer.
