Colby Covington is taking an uncharacteristically restrained approach ahead of his wrestling match against Dillon Danis.
Covington is set to face Danis in a wrestling bout at RAF 07, serving as the co-main event on March 28 at the Yuengling Center inside the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.
The former UFC interim welterweight champion is best known for getting under his opponents’ skin and stirring up fans with his often controversial trash talk, which many believe pushes the boundaries. However, “Chaos” appears to be taking a different approach heading into this contest.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Covington set aside his usual bravado to give Danis his due, speaking glowingly about the controversial BJJ practitioner’s skill set and offering a level of respect that rarely comes from “Chaos.”
He's a strong guy – he's got the strength of 10 men," Covington said. He fought those 10 Dagestanis last time in that Khabib brawl [at UFC 322], so that's someone that's not to be underestimated and to be respected. So I respect Dillon. It's going to be a great match. He has a lot of combat sports knowledge, a former champion. It's going to be a great match and I'm excited to get out that on those RAF mats again.
I think this match is going to be a battle. He's been working really hard. He's been trying to get into UFC and get these big matches. We saw him beat up Logan Paul in boxing so bad that Logan has to sue him. He's fought 10 guys before, those 10 Dagestanis, so he's got the strength of 10 men. There's no handouts on March 28. I'm going to have to earn it the hard way.
Colby Covington last competed in MMA at UFC Tampa in December 2024, losing to Joaquin Buckley. He recently defeated former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at RAF 05.
Meanwhile, “El Jefe” was last in action at MF & DAZN X Series 22 in August 2025, where he secured the Misfits MMA light heavyweight title with a lightning-fast submission victory over Warren Spencer in just 15 seconds.