Colby Covington had the opportunity to settle his longstanding rivalry with Sean Strickland on the wrestling mats. Instead, “Chaos” walked away over 10 pounds.
Real American Freestyle (RAF) officially announced earlier today that Khamzat Chimaev will challenge Covington for the promotion’s Cruiserweight Crossover championship on Nov. 14, 2026, inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
However, MMAmania.com has learned that another massive former UFC rivalry was initially discussed before “Borz” landed his championship opportunity.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations, RAF attempted to book Covington against reigning UFC Middleweight champion Strickland for its upcoming Las Vegas card on Oct. 23 at Fontainebleau.
Strickland was interested but requested that the crossover wrestling match take place at a 200-pound catchweight. Covington, a career Welterweight who captured RAF gold at cruiserweight earlier this year, wanted the matchup contested at 190 pounds.
The two sides could not bridge that 10-pound gap, and Covington ultimately turned down the Strickland matchup.
Perhaps Covington made the correct business decision. Strickland is a significantly larger opponent who has competed at both Middleweight and Light Heavyweight, and the outspoken champion previously defeated Chimaev to capture UFC’s 185-pound crown at UFC 328.
Covington captured the RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title by defeating Arman Tsarukyan and successfully defended it against Belal Muhammad earlier this month. “Chaos” remains undefeated through five RAF appearances, also owning victories over Chris Weidman, Dillon Danis and Luke Rockhold.
Chimaev, meanwhile, is 3-0 on the RAF mats, scoring wins over Danis, Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns. He will have to get past Lawler in Las Vegas before finally settling his longtime rivalry with Covington in Abu Dhabi.
For now, Strickland’s RAF debut will have to wait.
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