Colby Covington Seeks New Grappling Opponent

Colby Covington is on the hunt for a new opponent for his next grappling match. The former interim UFC welterweight champion recently became the first person to defeat Arman Tsarukyan in a grappling contest, a feat he accomplished at the RAF 11 gala event on Saturday.

At the same event, Belal Muhammad secured a points victory over Ben Askren, seemingly setting the stage for a highly anticipated championship bout within the organization. However, tensions flared between Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad during the post-RAF 11 press conference.

Muhammad, known as "Remember the Name," launched a kick at Covington, which quickly escalated into chaos. Security personnel intervened to de-escalate the situation at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Covington and Muhammad would face off at RAF 12, scheduled for August 22nd in Cleveland.

However, Covington lived up to his moniker, "Chaos," by canceling the bout with Muhammad less than 24 hours after its announcement.

"I made a management decision," Covington stated in an interview with Submission Radio. "I spoke with management. I'm a shareholder in RAF, so I make these kinds of decisions. We're pulling out of the fight with Belal. He showed he can't act like a professional. I'll explain why. First, at the post-fight press conference, he held the microphone and claimed to be a man of the people: 'I care about the kids, I want to set a good example, I'm sorry I swore.' Just a second later, he stood up, tried to kick me like in a soccer match, and rushed across the stage to attack me like some disgusting animal.

He acted like a hooligan, a criminal. It's just disgusting. There's no professionalism from his side. Of course, the company knows I'd beat him in 60 seconds or less in a grappling match. But we know he won't try to grapple with me. He'll just want to attack me and act unprofessionally again.

Let's be honest – he's not a star and doesn't generate much interest. Therefore, he doesn't give me any extra motivation to put my belt on the line against him." Colby Covington then listed several MMA stars who could potentially replace Belal Muhammad at RAF 12. His list of five potential opponents includes Arman Tsarukyan, Khamzat Chimaev, Tyron Woodley, Michael Chandler, and Kamaru Usman.

"We only want big names that attract serious interest. Someone who deserves this opportunity," Covington continued. "Arman deserves a rematch. If he wants it, we'll do it. I'll back up my words with actions and prove I'm the best grappler on the planet. I'm the best competitor in cross-discipline fights because I hold the RAF world title. I'm the best athlete of this kind in the organization's history, and we'll do the rematch with Arman. If Arman doesn't want it, there's a long list of people waiting their turn. Michael Chandler is there, Tyron Woodley too. Who knows – maybe Khamzat is on the horizon. There are many good options.

The trilogy with Usman needs to happen. Right now, he needs to lick his wounds because Dricus du Plessis just kicked his ass. But when he recovers, he might get a chance to fight for this belt. No one is going to take it from me."