Colby Covington says he will not face Belal Muhammad in Real American Freestyle after their confrontation at the RAF 11 post-fight press conference. Instead, the former UFC interim welterweight champion wants a second match with Arman Tsarukyan.
Covington and Muhammad had both competed on Saturday, July 18, at RAF 11 in Milwaukee. Covington beat Tsarukyan 5-3 to become the inaugural RAF Cruiserweight Crossover champion, handing the UFC lightweight contender his first loss in the promotion and moving Covington’s RAF record to 3-0. Muhammad beat Ben Askren 6-3 in the co-main event.
The two welterweights then had a heated exchange during the post-fight press conference, where a prospective matchup was discussed. Video from the event shows Muhammad and the US-born wrestler clashing after the announcement, with security stepping in.
But Covington said in an interview with Submission Radio that he has decided to leave the Muhammad matchup behind.
Colby Covington vs Belal Muhammad match OFF
“I’ve made an executive decision. You know I’m a shareholder in RAF. We are going to move away from the Belal matchup,” Covington said. “First off, he’s on the mic at the post-fight press conference, he’s claiming to be a man of the people and be a good example, and the next second he stands up and throws a soccer kick at me and tries to attack me like a filthy animal. Like a delinquent, like a criminal. It’s just disgusting; there’s no professionalism on his side.”
Covington added that he believes he would finish the contest quickly if it happened, saying, “The company know I’ll beat him in 60 seconds or less.” He then pivoted back to Tsarukyan: “Arman deserves the rematch.”
That call is an interesting one considering the American wrestler had just beaten Tsarukyan in a tight title match. The score was level through much of the contest before the former UFC interim champion pulled ahead and controlled the closing stretch, winning 5-3. Tsarukyan entered the main event with a 7-0 RAF record, while Covington brought a wrestling background that included Division I All-American honors at Oregon State.
A Covington-Muhammad RAF match had looked like a natural next move after their public confrontation. Their planned RAF contest had reportedly been linked to RAF 12 in Cleveland, but the RAF champ has now publicly removed himself from it.
For now, the US-born wrestler appears more interested in a sequel with Tsarukyan than settling his latest score with Muhammad. Whether RAF follows his preferred direction remains to be seen, but the RAF champion has made one thing clear: the Belal matchup is no longer part of his plans.
