The ALF League has its first headliner. On Sunday, the promotion announced that former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev will meet Jorge Masvidal in a submission-only grappling match at ALF League 1 on December 4, 2026, at The Agenda in Dubai.
The matchup was reported by Red Corner MMA, which carried the news on X:
“Khamzat Chimaev vs. Jorge Masvidal is set to headline the first event of the ALF grappling league in Dubai on December 4, under submission-only rules.”
The account added that the card would feature “a number of household names,” with no other bouts confirmed yet.
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Check out the post from Red Corner MMA below:
For Masvidal, the booking ends a long layoff. The 41-year-old, the UFC’s first ‘BMF’ titleholder, has not competed since dropping a majority decision to Nate Diaz in a boxing match in July 2024.
‘Gamebred’s’ last MMA appearance came at UFC 287 in April 2023, when Gilbert Burns took him down four times and controlled him for almost six minutes in a decision in Miami. Masvidal retired after that defeat, then changed his mind and spent two years angling for a return.
The grappling is the obvious question mark. Masvidal has two submission wins in 52 professional MMA fights, while Chimaev is known for his wrestling and should start as the favorite ahead of this clash.
Chimaev has stayed busy outside the octagon. Since May he has wrestled four times for Real American Freestyle, beating Dillon Danis, Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns and Robbie Lawler. He is already booked against Colby Covington for the RAF cruiserweight crossover title in Abu Dhabi on November 14, so Dubai will be his second grappling date in three weeks.
Khamzat Chimaev’s last fight: how Sean Strickland took the belt
Khamzat Chimaev’s most recent MMA bout remains the one that cost him the title. He lost a split decision to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9 in Newark, two judges scoring it 48-47 for the American, one for Chimaev.
‘Borz’ landed nine of his 13 takedown attempts, but Strickland kept getting back to his feet and out-jabbed him across the later rounds, and Chimaev never found the submission he spent the opening frame hunting.
The 32-year-old is still the top-ranked middleweight and No. 10 pound for pound, but the immediate rematch is not his. Strickland has been negotiating a title defense against Nassourdine Imavov.
Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim
