Ali Akbar Rosady
The highly anticipated co-main event between Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad for RAF 12, scheduled for August 22 in Cleveland, faces an uncertain future following a contentious post-fight press conference at RAF 11 that culminated in a physical altercation. Covington, fresh off securing the RAF crossover title, has publicly expressed significant doubts about proceeding with the bout, labeling Muhammad an "unprofessional little clown" and accusing him of a "cheap shot."
The incident unfolded in Milwaukee after RAF 11, a record-breaking event held at the Panther Arena on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The card saw Covington defeat Arman Tsarukyan to claim the RAF crossover title, while Muhammad secured a victory over Ben Askren. Immediately following the event, promotional officials announced the clash between Covington and Muhammad as a key attraction for RAF’s one-year anniversary show. However, what began as a routine post-fight media availability quickly escalated into a heated exchange between the two former UFC title contenders.
During the press conference, tensions were visibly high. Muhammad repeatedly interrupted Covington as he answered questions, prompting Covington to shout, "shut the f*ck up." The animosity reached a boiling point when Covington directed a verbal jab at Muhammad, who then reacted by lunging towards Covington and throwing a kick before security personnel intervened to separate the two fighters.
Speaking to MMA Fighting a couple of days after the melee, Covington detailed his frustration, indicating a loss of patience with Muhammad’s conduct. "Just completely annoyed," Covington stated. "Just an unprofessional little clown that Belal is. It’s embarrassing. I didn’t interrupt him when he was answering his questions. I’m not offended by whatever he wants to say about me. The guy’s been saying things about me for years."
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Covington further elaborated on the long-standing nature of their rivalry, referencing past remarks made by Muhammad, including accusations of "white privilege" regarding Covington’s UFC title opportunities. "He was saying, oh, I got my title shot in the UFC because of the color of my skin. He literally tweeted that, white privilege. He said, the only reason Colby’s fighting for the UFC title is because he’s white. Dude, could you imagine tweeting that? It’s disgusting. It’s racist. That’s the type of person that he is. Belal, no one remembers his name, fcking whatever the fck his last name is."
The rivalry between Covington, known for his provocative persona, and Muhammad has simmered for several years through various media platforms. While both fighters traded insults leading up to RAF 11, the post-fight press conference marked the first time their animosity spilled over into a physical confrontation within the context of the Real American Freestyle promotion.
Covington emphasized his belief that Muhammad has been actively seeking a fight with him for an extended period. "Dude, he’s been saying things about me for years, begging to get this fight with me, hurling shots at me, whatever," Covington explained. "Say whatever you want. You don’t hurt my feelings. I don’t care, keep saying it, but just like the UFC knows and the great Hunter Campbell, the greatest mind behind the UFC who is the face that runs the place, he puts Belal in the APEX because he doesn’t sell tickets. He’s a nobody. Not like myself, who I go to Madison Square Garden, the most iconic arena in the world, and I do a $10 million gate, one of the biggest gates in MSG history."
Highlighting his status within the nascent promotion, Covington, who boasts a 4-0 record competing for RAF and is an investor in the company, contrasted his professional standing with Muhammad’s behavior. "That’s what separates us is he’s been begging for this fight, begging for this thing, and then he gets the chance, and he’s on the mic, and he’s saying, ‘Oh, I want to be a good example for the kids,’ and then you come take a cheap shot at me and kick me across the stage when I’m not even ready for it, and he won’t even let me talk at the press conference of my f*cking company. I’m an investor in Real American Freestyle. He’s not an investor. He’s a nobody."
Covington concluded his critique of Muhammad’s actions by calling them "classless" and "embarrassing," questioning Muhammad’s claimed desire to be a role model. "He’s a bum, he’s irrelevant, and it was classless. You claim you wanna be an example for the kids. Is that how you set an example for the kids? Is that how you do your business? You can’t control your emotions? It was embarrassing."
Initially, Covington suggested he would outright cancel the match. In an interview with Submission Radio on Sunday, he stated his intention to pull the fight from Muhammad and defend his newly won RAF crossover belt against a different opponent. However, his stance has since softened slightly, though significant uncertainty remains.
While the fight is not 100 percent off the table, Covington indicated a strong inclination towards seeking an alternative challenger. He cited Muhammad’s performance against Ben Askren at RAF 11 as a contributing factor, suggesting Muhammad did not present a sufficiently challenging opponent. "I don’t even know if I’m going to go against him," Covington explained. "We might pull that match and go for someone better. The guy’s not accomplished anyways. It took him till minute five to take down the dead guy that shouldn’t even be out there. Once Ben’s lungs literally stopped working, that’s the only time he ever got a takedown on him."
Covington reiterated his dismissive view of Muhammad’s competitive value. "The guy’s not even worth my time. He’s irrelevant and, yeah, just very annoying."
From Muhammad’s perspective within the RAF landscape, his victory over Ben Askren at RAF 11 marked his first win in the promotion. His RAF debut at RAF 4 last December saw him suffer a tech fall loss to multi-time freestyle world champion David Carr. The 38-year-old Muhammad has also encountered recent setbacks in his octagon career, having reportedly dropped two consecutive fights, including a welterweight title loss to Jack Della Maddalena 15 months ago at UFC 315 and a decision loss to Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Vegas 118 in June. These results, as presented in the context of the RAF narrative, paint a picture of a fighter seeking to regain momentum, which his win against Askren offered before the post-fight incident.
In an interesting turn, Covington revealed on The Ariel Helwani Show that he is engaging fans in a poll to determine the fate of the RAF 12 co-main event. The poll will allow fans to vote on whether the match with Muhammad should proceed or if Covington should pursue a different direction for his title defense. Covington stated his intention to abide by the public’s decision.
"What makes RAF so great, and the great minds behind it – Eric Bischoff, Chad Bronstein, Izzy Martinez [and others behind the scenes] – but what makes our minds so great is we listen to the people," Covington said. "If the people truly want it, I’m willing to grant it. It’s going to be an easy match. I’ll destroy the guy in 90 seconds or less, but obviously, the guy’s going to cheap shot."
Covington expressed concerns that Muhammad’s perceived unprofessionalism could lead to another unsportsmanlike incident, potentially endangering spectators. "He’s not a professional, he’s a coward. So that’s just the thing I’m worried about is him taking a cheap shot on me trying to punch me when I’m beating his ass 10-0 tech falling him, and then having to deal with that. I don’t want to put any of those kids that are in that arena in a bad situation where a brawl spills out onto them and potentially someone could get hurt. That’s how a company like RAF could literally go under. We don’t wanna see anything like that happen."
The final decision regarding the RAF 12 co-main event hangs in the balance, with fan input now playing a significant role. "So I don’t know. We got to see. We’re going to listen to the people. We’re the people’s organization, RAF, and if the people want the matchup, we’re willing to give the people the matchup." The outcome of the fan poll and any subsequent announcements from RAF officials will be crucial in determining whether Covington and Muhammad will indeed settle their score in Cleveland.
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