After months of back-and-forth, Colby Covington and Arman Tsarukyan will compete on the wrestling mat at RAF 11. The matchup was made official following the RAF 09 co-main event. RAF 11 will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Jul. 18 and stream exclusively on FOX Nation.
Both competitors were victorious at RAF 09. Tsarukyan defeated Mugzy to improve his RAF record to 5-0. Meanwhile, Covington defeated former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in a closely-contested matchup to improve to 3-0 in RAF.
RAF officials confirmed that the match will be contested at cruiserweight and headline the event. The matchup was previously unable to materialize because both were active UFC fighters. However, now that Covington has retired from UFC competition, the matchup can be booked with no restrictions.
Colby Covington and Arman Tsarukyan Exchange Callouts at RAF 09
Colby Covington and Arman Tsarukyan clearly had mutual interest in facing each other. Both competitors called out the other during their respective post-match interviews.
Tsarukyan did not waste any time taking aim at Covington. He is already scheduled to wrestle former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson at RAF 10. However, he set the stage for a match with ‘Chaos.’
“We got tonight Colby Covington. I hope he is going to win. I’m gonna whoop his [expletive],” Tsarukyan said during his post-match interview. “The number-one MMA wrestler is me and I’m gonna show everybody who is the best MMA wrestler on this mat.”
Covington then called out Tsarukyan, who interrupted his post-match interview. The UFC lightweight contender said he was not impressed with ‘Chaos” performance and urged him to prepare.
“Colby, you looked so bad. Please, when we’re gonna wrestle, be ready because I don’t want to have easy money. I want to be in a legit [wrestling match] with you,” Tsarukyan said.
RAF CEOs Chad Bronstein and Israel Martinez were both present for the interaction and made the matchup official.
Covington Reacts to Matchup With Tsarukyan Being Made Official
Covington also shared his reaction to his matchup with Tsarukyan being made official for RAF 11. ‘Chaos’ expressed joy that there are no longer any obstacles preventing the match from becoming a reality.
Covington, who recently retired from the UFC, noted that he is eager to wrestle Tsarukyan.
“[I’m] thankful I could set up this big match with Arman. He’s been talking a lot of smack. So, now there’s no more excuses, he’s got to see me on that mat on Jul. 18. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” Covington told reporters during his post-match press conference. “Absolutely, [I’m going to be Tsarukyan’s toughest opponent]. He’s been going against guys that are a lot smaller than him. Urijah [Faber] was 20, 30 pounds smaller than him.
He added:
“[Tsarukyan] hasn’t wrestled a high-level All-American like myself. Someone that is around the same size as him. I might have 5, 10 pounds on him, but we’re similar size,” he said. “He’s been going up against guys that are a lot smaller than him and don’t have the wrestling credentials as me. So, I’m gonna be a real challenge. And I can’t wait to give him his first loss in RAF.”
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