Arman Tsarukyan and Colby Covington both picked up impressive wins at RAF 7 on Saturday and now they are trying to clash with each other as long as the UFC allows it to happen.
Following a dubious RAF debut where Tsarukyan ended up punching opponent Georgio Poullas after the match finished, which ignited a huge brawl, the veteran lightweight was much more composed for the rematch. He scored a huge throw late in the match to deliver an emphatic win over Poullas to move to 3-0 in RAF.
Covington accomplished much the same after Dillon Danis actually scored some points on him early but the former UFC interim welterweight champion turned up the heat in the second period before earning a technical fall after going up 14-4 to end the match. Now Covington is entertaining a showdown against Tsarukyan after claiming he already thumped the UFC lightweight when they were training together at American Top Team in Florida.
“Let’s do it. I’d love to dunk him, give him a wedgie and stuff him in a locker,” Covington said at the post-match press conference. “I love it. It’s a great angle. I think it’s a great storyline. We did used to train together at one point at American Top Team. So I think it’s a great matchup. The only one that has to sign off on it is UFC. As long as UFC signs off, we can make that happen but right now they’re blocking it.
“So I’m going to have a talk with Hunter Campbell in Miami when the UFC comes to Miami in a couple weeks and we’re going to get this situated. Because this is the fight the fans want. This is the match that RAF deserves and it’s the biggest match that we can do.”
Because both fighters are under contract, the UFC has to give them permission to compete in any outside promotion whether that’s grappling, wrestling or anything else. Per sources, the UFC has allowed fighters to compete in RAF under no restrictions outside of avoiding matchups pitting two active athletes against each other.
That might be the holdup in booking Covington against Tsarukyan but it appears both fighters are going to try to make it happen.
“I want Colby Covington because he has a couple victories and he’s a superstar in UFC and he’s a legit wrestler and I want to beat him,” Tsarukyan said. “I know my skills, I can beat him. He told everybody that he wrestled me in the gym and maybe he misunderstood it wasn’t me so someone else.”
As far as those training sessions from the past, Tsarukyan stated that Covington must be mistaken about who he was wrestling because it wasn’t him. He then pointed out that Covington actually gave up points to Danis, who is a grappling champion and high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner but not an actual wrestler.
“I’ve never trained with you,” Tsarukyan fired back. “I’ve seen you in the gym but we never wrestled. There’s thousands of Dagestani and Chechen guys who look similar. Nobody beat me in ATT and especially you in the wrestling. You have just good cardio, that’s all.
“Dillon Danis almost beat your ass! He gave you points. He has zero freestyle wrestling. How you gave him points? I can wrestle anybody, anywhere. Let’s make it happen.”
Covington then defended his matchup against Danis while somehow dragging former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov into the conversation.
“No, it was definitely you, bro,” Covington said. “You know it was you. We wrestled, I swear on my life. We wrestled. I got respect for you. I guess that’s what we’re going to find out soon in the RAF mat.
“[Dillon Danis] scared Khabib. He could beat Khabib. Conor [McGregor] knew that f*cking Dillon Danis could beat Khabib.”
Regardless of what unfolded on Saturday at RAF 7, Covington and Tsarukyan both seem interested in meeting on the mats but it’s up to the UFC to decide whether or not it happens.
“All we need is the UFC’s approval,” Covington said. “Come on Hunter Campbell, this is the greatest promotion God’s green earth right now is RAF so let’s make it happen. Hopefully Hunter Campbell and Dana White will sign off on it and this will be the highest level wrestling match you’ve ever seen. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Colby Covington.”
Read the full article here
