{
  "id": 19072645,
  "title": "RAF Abu Dhabi: What are the rules of freestyle wrestling?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/raf-abu-dhabi-what-are-the-rules-of-freestyle-wrestling",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-09T02:51:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/combat-sports/2026/11/09/raf-abu-dhabi-what-are-the-rules-of-freestyle-wrestling/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "RAF (Real American Freestyle) wrestling is set to make its debut in Abu Dhabi at the Etihad Arena on November 14. Unlike WWE, RAF is unscripted and has no predetermined outcome, similar to wrestling at the Olympics. Despite this, there are still identifiable \"baby faces\" (good guys) and \"heels\" (bad guys) within the matches. Pre-match press conferences can be particularly heated.\n\nKhamzat Chimaev, the headline fighter for the event, is renowned for his wrestling skills. He has never lost in any organisation, while his opponent, Colby Covington, is a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler. Both fighters have never lost on the mat in any wrestling competition.\n\nThe matches are scheduled in three two-minute periods, with a 30-second break between each period and no overtime. Points are awarded based on action and control: takedowns are worth 2 points, throws can earn 4 or 5 points, and failing to score within a 30-second shot clock can result in 1 point. A wrestler can win before the end of the regulation periods through a pinfall, technical fall, or decision based on the highest score. Challenges can be made to resolve scoring disputes using video review.",
  "summary": "RAF wrestling makes its Abu Dhabi debut at Etihad Arena on Saturday, November 14. Unlike the WWE, RAF (Real American Freestyle) is the real thing, meaning it's unscripted and does not have a predetermined outcome. Think wrestling at the Olympics, not Netflix. That's not to say there aren't baby faces (the good guys) and heels (the bad guys). And the pre-match press conferences can be pretty…",
  "key_points": [
    "RAF Abu Dhabi freestyle wrestling debuts November 14 at Etihad Arena",
    "Khamzat Chimaev, undefeated wrestler, faces Colby Covington",
    "Matches consist of three 2-minute periods with no overtime"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The introduction of unscripted combat to Abu Dhabi shifts the regional entertainment landscape toward legitimate athletic competition where predetermined outcomes are replaced by genuine sporting skill and technical scoring.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}