Colby Covington is pushing back hard against reports that he turned down a chance to settle his long-running rivalry with Sean Strickland on the wrestling mats.
The former UFC interim welterweight champion was recently linked to a potential Real American Freestyle (RAF) showdown with Strickland at RAF 14 in Las Vegas on October 23.
Reports indicated that negotiations broke down over the weight, with Strickland seeking a 200-pound catchweight and Covington preferring 190 pounds.
Covington, however, now says that version of events is not true.
Colby Covington Calls Sean Strickland Report ‘Fake News’
Covington responded to a repost of the report on X, directly rejecting the claim that he refused to face Strickland at the proposed weight.
“Fake news. I’ll wrestle @sstricklandmma at any weight he wants October 23rd @RAFWrestlingUSA in Las Vegas. Book it @ChadBronstein @IzzyStyle @EBischoff.”
The response potentially reopens the door to a matchup that appeared to have fallen apart after the reported disagreement over the weight limit.
Covington has already established himself as one of RAF’s biggest names this year. The 38-year-old is 5-0 under the promotion’s banner, defeating Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis, Chris Weidman and Arman Tsarukyan before defending his Cruiserweight Crossover championship against Belal Muhammad at RAF 13 on September 18.
Strickland, meanwhile, remains the UFC middleweight champion and has his own history with Covington. The two have traded verbal shots for years, making a potential wrestling meeting particularly intriguing.
For now, “Chaos” is officially booked to defend his RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title against Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14 at Etihad Arena. Chimaev is scheduled to face UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler at RAF 14 in Las Vegas first.
