Colby Covington and Sean Strickland nearly brought their bitter rivalry to the wrestling mats, only for a 10-pound weight dispute to derail the matchup.
According to MMA Mania, Real American Freestyle (RAF) explored booking the former UFC rivals for its October 23 event at Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion was reportedly interested in the crossover matchup, but negotiations stalled when the two sides could not settle on a catchweight.
Colby Covington And Sean Strickland Couldn’t Agree On Weight
Strickland reportedly wanted the bout contested at 200 pounds, while Covington pushed for a 190-pound limit. The 10-pound difference could not be resolved, and Covington ultimately turned down the proposed matchup.
The bout would have brought together two of MMA’s most outspoken fighters in an entirely different setting. “Chaos” has since competed at RAF’s cruiserweight limit and captured the promotion’s Cruiserweight Crossover championship earlier this year, while Strickland currently holds the UFC middleweight title.
With Strickland vs. Covington off the table, RAF moved forward with another major matchup involving Covington’s title.
Khamzat Chimaev will challenge Covington on November 14 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Before getting his shot at the title, Chimaev is scheduled to face UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler at RAF’s October 23 event in Las Vegas.
Covington remains unbeaten through five RAF appearances, picking up victories over Arman Tsarukyan, Belal Muhammad, Chris Weidman, Dillon Danis and Luke Rockhold.
“Borz” has also gone undefeated on the RAF mats, winning three consecutive matches against Danis, Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns.
