Chuck
Liddell says the use of wrestling in modern mixed martial arts
by some fighters doesn't sit well with him.

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer has no problem
with wrestling itself. What bothers him is how fighters use it to
stall, rather than inflict damage or progress towards submission
attempts.

Chuck Liddell takes issue with control-heavy wrestling that
doesn’t pursue a finish

During a recent livestream with N3on, Liddell was asked whether
there's a current fighter he doesn't enjoy watching. Rather than
name an active UFC fighter, the former champ singled out a style
that has become increasingly common in MMA.

“I don't like the guys who try to wrestle and hold,†Liddell
said.

Liddell explained that his issue isn’t with grappling, but with
fighters who use wrestling primarily to control their opponents
without actively pursuing a finish.

“They're not trying to finish. I've got nothing against wrestling.
I like wrestling,†Liddell added. “Good ground and pound?
Great!â€

Liddell also placed some responsibility on the fighter stuck in
bottom position, arguing that failing to improve their ability to
escape contributes to the problem.

“But the guys that are just sitting there trying to win by just
holding a guy [I don't like it],†Liddell said. “It's the guy on
the bottom's fault for not getting better at getting up, too,
right? He's kind of causing some of the problems.â€

Colby
Covington believes Gable
Steveson needs to make changes after suffering his first defeat
in mixed martial arts.

The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship interim titleholder singled out
Steveson training under Jon Jones as
one of the changes the Olympian needs to make following his
12-second knockout loss to heavy underdog Sean Sharaf
at UFC
331.

Covington says Steveson should find a new camp and return to
his Olympic wrestling roots

In an interview with Submission Radio, “Chaos†said Steveson has
moved too far away from the wrestling that made him an Olympic
champion, arguing that the heavyweight should return to his roots
rather than focusing on his striking.

“I definitely saw this coming,†Covington told Submission Radio.
“You know, he was over-hyping himself, overlooking other
competitors and he just thought he was invincible. You don’t see
him try to wrestle in any fights; he’s just going straight into
striking. But when you forget about what got you to the dance,
that’s always going to be a recipe for disaster.â€

Covington then suggested that Steveson needs to leave Jones, his
Iowa Central Community College roommate, and train elsewhere.

“Jon Jones is bad energy,†Covington said. “That guy is a demon,
man. So, he should definitely cut Jon Jones, and get to a new camp,
get focused and start believing and start using his wrestling, what
got you to the dance.â€

Real American Freestyle has signed a five-year partnership with the
Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and the UAE Wrestling
Federation, with the agreement beginning Nov. 14 at Etihad
Arena.

Khamzat
Chimaev will headline RAF's debut event in the Middle East,
with his opponent to be announced in the coming weeks. Arman
Tsarukyan, Henry
Cejudo, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev
are also set to compete, with their matchups still to be
revealed.

Real American Freestyle signs five-year partnership with Abu
Dhabi

Chimaev has become one of RAF's crossover attractions since joining
the promotion. The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder made
his RAF debut against Dillon
Danis before facing Tyron
Woodley in Moscow and Gilbert
Burns at RAF 13.

The Abu Dhabi event marks RAF's third international show in its
first year, following events in Tbilisi and Moscow. The new
partnership will establish Abu Dhabi as a recurring stop on the
promotion's international calendar.

“From day one, our ambition has been to bring RAF to the world's
great sports markets, and there is no better place for this next
chapter than Abu Dhabi,†RAF CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein
said. “Abu Dhabi is one of the premier destinations for combat
sports, with the vision and infrastructure to deliver events that
resonate globally. This five-year partnership gives us the
opportunity to make RAF Abu Dhabi a signature event and build
something meaningful for athletes, fans and the region for years to
come.â€

The Nov. 14 card will feature a mixture of Olympic champions, world
champions, NCAA standouts, and crossover athletes from wrestling
and mixed martial arts, with additional matchups and event details
to be announced soon.

RAF IS COMING TO ABU DHABI. 🇦🇪@KChimaev
headlines our UAE debut on November 14 at Etihad Arena.

More of the biggest names in wrestling and combat sports to be
announced.

Khamzat's opponent coming soon.

RAF ABU DHABI. NOV 14.

Register your interest at link in bio. pic.twitter.com/lDN1rX0zbg

— Real American Freestyle (@RAFWrestlingUSA)
September 21, 2026