Colby Covington Claims his RAF Wrestling Career Outpacing Recent UFC Output
Colby Covington is loving life as a wrestler again with his performances in the RAF, so much so that he believes it outshines his achievements inside the octagon.
Former interim UFC Welterweight Champion Colby Covington has never been shy about speaking his mind, but his latest admission highlights a genuine shift in his combat sports focus. The 38-year-old fighter recently admitted that his run in Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling has become significantly more intriguing to him than his recent tenure inside the UFC.
While Covington's UFC activity has slowed down significantly, sporting a 17-5 professional MMA record with limited Octagon appearances in recent years, his venture onto the wrestling mat has provided a steady stream of high-profile matchups. Speaking on his current career trajectory, Covington revealed that the structured, fast-paced nature of RAF has given him a level of momentum he felt was missing in mixed martial arts.
"Yeah, it's a lot more intriguing because you know I literally have my next year planned out of like match-ups that I'm gonna get," Covington said. "I'm gonna get Gilbert Burns at some point, I'm gonna get the trilogy with Marty Fake Newsman, I'm gonna get Michael Chandler, I'm gonna get the Sean Brady's, the Arman rematch."
A Stacked Hit List on the Wrestling Mat
Covington's transition to RAF has allowed the former Oregon State All-American wrestler to fully leverage his relentless cardio and chain-wrestling abilities against top-tier talent. While prolonged fight negotiations and division stagnation often create multi-month delays in MMA, the wrestling promotion has lined up a constant slate of marquee bouts for "Chaos."
In addition to his high-stakes showdown against former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at RAF 13 and a previous victory over Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11, Covington's roadmap includes potential mat clashes with Gilbert Burns, Kamaru Usman, Sean Brady, and Michael Chandler, alongside reports of a match with Khamzat Chimaev.
For Covington, the wrestling circuit delivers consistent activity and headlining opportunities without the contractual hurdles of the cage. Whether or not he steps back into the Octagon anytime soon, Covington's active schedule on the mat proves that "Chaos" remains one of the most bankable and busy figures in combat sports.
