Colby Covington Eyes RAF Bouts with Chimaev and Usman After Dominating Belal Muhammad

Colby Covington is keen on two specific matchups for RAF that he believes would capture significant attention.

Covington has found new momentum in his freestyle wrestling career after stepping away from MMA. "Chaos" recently achieved a decisive 10-0 victory against former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. This win followed his earlier 5-3 triumph over Arman Tsarukyan in July. Covington sees potential high-profile bouts against Khamzat Chimaev and his former rival Kamaru Usman as key future contests for RAF.

Speaking to reporters after his RAF 13 match with Muhammad, Covington outlined his reasons for pursuing fights with Chimaev and Usman. He stated, "There's a long list of competitors, and thankfully RAF offers plenty of skilled opponents to test myself against. Naturally, 'Marty Fakenewsman' (Kamaru Usman) is on that list; we have unresolved history. A trilogy fight between us would be massive, likely my top priority. Then there's 'Cumshot' (Khamzat) Chimaev, though he needs to manage his weight better. He can't keep being unprofessional, missing weight, or faking illness to avoid fights."

Chimaev himself recently suggested he inadvertently revealed RAF's plans for a bout with Covington. Whether this fight materializes remains to be seen. Both fighters have exchanged words for years, and the build-up to such a contest would likely draw considerable interest from the MMA community. It's less certain, however, if fans are eager to watch Covington and Usman compete on the wrestling mats.

Usman defeated Covington twice for the UFC welterweight title. In their first fight, "The Nigerian Nightmare" broke Covington's jaw for a TKO victory. He then secured a unanimous decision win in their rematch.