Colby Covington opened up about his upcoming wrestling match with Dillon Danis and shared praise for his opponent. Covington and Danis will compete at RAF 07, which takes place at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida on Saturday. RAF 07 streams exclusively on FOX Nation.
Real American Freestyle has quickly gained traction within wrestling and MMA community. Its events feature several elite amateur wrestlers and Olympians, as well as current UFC fighters. RAF 07 will be no different, as Covington, a former collegiate wrestler, faces Danis, an elite jiu-jitsu specialist.
Ahead of their wrestling match, Covington spoke exclusively with Heavy Sports about facing Danis and his preparation.
Colby Covington Shares His Thoughts on Dillon Danis
Colby Covington is known for his brash, unfiltered persona and has gotten under his opponents’ skin at times. Danis, meanwhile, is no different and has been involved in several post-fight brawls.
Ahead of RAF 07, however, Covington has been much more friendly and respectful toward Danis. He praised the jiu-jitsu specialist’s toughness and believes they will put on an entertaining show for fans in the co-main event.
“Danis is a guy we’ve been looking at for a long time and we wanted to compete against. He’s a great grappler, world champion grappler. He was a great high school wrestler, he has a big name, he used to coach Conor [McGregor],” Covington exclusively told Heavy Sports.
‘Chaos’ emphasized that a bout between them would never happen in the UFC due to Danis being barred from the promotion.
“He’s got the strength of ten men because he took on ten Dagestanis, so he’s a strong guy and somebody you can’t underestimate. It’s going to be challenging to have to figure out that puzzle on Saturday night,” he said. “I’m just thankful RAF was able to put it on because he’s banned from all the UFC events, so we would never be able to do it in the UFC,” he said.
Covington Details Preparation for Real American Freestyle Wrestling Matches
GettyLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 16: Colby Covington of the United States prepares for a welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards of England during the UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington event at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
RAF 07 marks Covington’s second match with the organization following his dominant win over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
Covington explained what his training camps look like for RAF wrestling matches compared to his UFC bouts. While he does not have to worry about escaping submissions or avoiding strikes, ensuring his body reaches peak performances remains a priority.
[Wrestling preparation] is similar to a fight camp. You’re going through a rigorous grind every day, where you’re trying to get your body physically ready to peak. You want your body to peak at the right time,” Covington exclusively told Heavy Sports. “It’s the same type of grind. Obviously a big part of it is techniques. It’s like I tell all the wrestlers that I try and help coach, ‘Drillers make killers.’”
He continued:
“You have to drill these techniques over and over until they become muscle memory,” he said. “I’m training hard every day and I’m training harder now than I ever did in my UFC career.”
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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