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RAF exec gives update on Colby Covington vs. Belal Muhammad match after RAF 11 post-event melee

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2 months ago

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RAF exec gives update on Colby Covington vs. Belal Muhammad match after RAF 11 post-event melee

Colby Covington will absolutely face Belal Muhammad in a wrestling match, but it's just a matter of when.

Both competitors were victorious this past weekend at RAF 11 over Arman Tsarukyan and Ben Askren, respectively, and the matchup between Covington and Muhammad was made official as the co-main event of RAF 12 in Cleveland for Covington's newly-won cruiserweight crossover title on Aug. 22. Following the announcement, Muhammad went after Covington at the post-event press conference, and security intervened.

RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein jumped up quickly to help separate the two competitors, and was shocked the situation happened.

“I didn't think it was going to happen, no, but I could tell there's heat happening, right?,†Bronstein told MMA Fighting. “I was right in the middle of it as you saw. I was first, I was right up in the middle of it trying to stop it immediately, but I did not think that was gonna happen.

“I thought there was gonna be severe trash talk between the two of them. They don't like each other. But I didn't think there was gonna be any physicalities that happened, and I was tired from two weeks of traveling, I really wasn't looking forward to jumping up in the middle of a scuffle, but my intuition made me do it.

“But no, I did not expect that. But these two have tons of tension, right? I know both of those guys. I know them personally, I have a great relationship with both of them, and I, truthfully, didn't think they were going to do that because I also know, as much trash talk they both do, they're actually both ultimate professionals.â€

Since the near-brawl, Covington told Submission Radio he was pulling the matchup altogether, but told MMA Fighting that he “might†move on to another opponent.

Bronstein says Covington is potentially correct about one aspect, but he will wrestle Muhammad for sure.

“So one… Colby is an investor, but at the end of the day, Izzy and myself will make the decision for the matches, and he knows that,†Bronstein said. “And two, he's going to wrestle Belal. The question is, is it going to happen in Cleveland, or is it going to happen in Miami? But it will, we're figuring out right now it's set for Cleveland, but he's definitely wrestling Belal.

“[We'll probably know in] the next day or so.â€

Should Muhammad not be able to compete at RAF 12, Bronstein says Covington will face another top-ranked UFC competitor at the event — one that likely ensures Muhammad will still be in attendance to watch “Chaos†compete before they square off on Sept. 19 at RAF 13.

“Colby will wrestle in Cleveland no matter what,†Bronsten explained. “If Belal doesn't wrestle in Cleveland, and he'll wrestle in Miami, it's going to be Branden Allen that will step in to compete against Colby in Cleveland.

“Belal and Brandon Allen are friends, right? So it's good. … But right now, Belal is still set. But if he can't, then it's going to be Miami.â€

Covington is now 4-0 competing for the promotion, which includes tech fall victories over former UFC middlweweight champ Luke Rockhold, and jiu-jitsu ace Dillon Danis. Covington earned his opportunity to face Tsarukyan for the inaugural crossover title with a win over Chris Weidman at RAF 9 in May.

Bronstein says that fans looking forward to Covington being an active competitor throughout the rest of 2026 will be excited to know that's the plan.

“Colby wants to compete constantly for his title,†Bronstein said. “He's saying that anyone [can] jump in, he's ready to go. You'll see Colby pretty active from Cleveland to Miami, to an international show with the main event. There's a lot of things booked for Colby. We just can't give you all of the details.â€

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MMA

Jon Jones’ reaction says it all after Gable Steveson’s 12-second KO loss

Published

3 hours ago

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September 20, 2026

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Jon Jones’ reaction says it all after Gable Steveson’s 12-second KO loss
Jon
Jones had a clear view of one of the biggest upsets in
Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

His protégé, Gable
Steveson, suffered the first loss of his professional mixed
martial arts career at UFC
331, with Sean Sharaf
recording a 12-second knockout at Crypto.com Arena in Los
Angeles.

Sean Sharaf hands Gable Steveson his first MMA loss in stunning
UFC 331 upset

Heavy betting favorite Steveson entered the matchup unbeaten at
4-0, while Sharaf was 0-2 in the UFC. The latter uncorked a left
hook early in the fight, putting the former to sleep. Steveson's
mentor, Jones, watched on and his reaction to the knockout is
circulating online.

The former two-division UFC champion seemingly said, “Oh, my God!â€
while looking at his fellow cornermen.

Steveson dismissed Sharaf as a threat in the lead-up to the fight,
relegating him to just a stepping stone towards his championship
aspirations. “The Smoke†even provoked the polarizing Olympian at
the pre-fight presser, bringing up past controversies that have
turned many against him.

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MMA

Pros react to Joshua Van defeating Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331: "Horrible judging"

Published

11 hours ago

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September 20, 2026

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Pros react to Joshua Van defeating Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331: "Horrible judging"
Trending:

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Tonight's UFC 331 event was headlined by a highly anticipated men's flyweight title fight rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja.

Van and Pantoja had originally collided back at UFC 323 in December of last year, where ‘The Fearless' walked away with the promotion's coveted men's flyweight title after ‘The Cannibal' suffered a nasty arm injury the rendered him unable to continue (see that here).

Joshua Van (17-2 MMA) had since successfully defended the 125lbs strap on one occasion, earning a fifth-round TKO victory over Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira. The 24-year-old had entered tonight's rematch sporting a seven-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja (30-6 MMA) was returning to the Octagon for the first time since suffering that aforementioned arm injury against Van at UFC 323. Prior to that setback, ‘The Cannibal' had strung together a seven-fight winning streak, an impressive stretch which included four successful title defenses over opponents Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

Tonight's UFC 331 main event proved to be an absolute thriller. Alexandre Pantoja came out guns blazing, but Joshua Van was able to weather the early onslaught and get his boxing going shortly thereafter. While Pantoja was able to get the fight to the floor in dominant positions on multiple occasions, he was never able to get off any really solid offense from those spots. The fight seemed to be razor close heading into the fifth and final round, but it was in those last five minutes that Van cemented his status as champion. He was able to drop the Brazilian with a right hand and pretty much controlled the entire fifth round.

Official UFC 331 Results: Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (49–46, 49–47, 50–45)

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Van vs. Pantoja 2' below:

Post-fight reactions to Joshua Van defeating Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331:

Who would you like to see Van fight next following his decision victory over Pantoja this evening in Los Angeles? Share your thoughts in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

UFC 331: 'Van vs. Pantoja 2' Live Results and Highlights

Published

11 hours ago

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September 20, 2026

By

UFC 331: 'Van vs. Pantoja 2' Live Results and Highlights
Trending:

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The Octagon returns to Los Angeles for tonight's UFC 331 event, a 12-bout fight card headlined by Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2.

Van and Pantoja originally collided at UFC 323 in December of last year, where ‘The Fearless' walked away with the promotion's coveted men's flyweight title after ‘The Cannibal' suffered a nasty arm injury the rendered him unable to continue (see that here).

Joshua Van (17-2 MMA) has since successfully defended the 125lbs strap, this after earning a fifth-round TKO victory over Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira. The 24-year-old will enter tonight's rematch sporting a seven-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja (30-6 MMA) will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since suffering the aforementioned arm injury against Van at UFC 323. Prior to that setback, ‘The Cannibal' was riding a seven-fight winning streak, a stretch which included four successful title defenses over the likes of Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

UFC 331 is co-headlined by a highly anticipated lightweight bout featuring Arman Tsarukyan taking on Maurício Ruffy.

(via Zuffa LLC)

Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA) will enter the contest on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent Octagon victory coming against Dan Hooker via second-round submission in November of 2025. Prior to that triumph, ‘Batman' had earned a split decision win over current BMF title holder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

Meanwhile, Maurício Ruffy (14-2 MMA) was most previously seen in action at June's UFC Freedom 250 event, where he scored an impressive first-round TKO win over former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler. The hard-hitting Brazilian has gone 4-1 over his past five fights, with his lone setback in that time coming against Benoit Saint Denis by way of submission.

If that wasn't enough to get you interested, tonight's UFC 331 main card lineup also features a featherweight matchup between Patrício Pitbull and Doo Ho Choi.

Pitbull (37-9 MMA) will enter the bout looking to rebound, this after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Aaron Pico at April's UFC 327 event. Prior to that setback, the former Bellator champion was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige.

Meanwhile, Doo Ho Choi (17-4-1 MMA) currently boasts a three-fight winning streak, this after scoring TKO victories over Bill Algeo, Nate Landwehr and Daniel Santos. Prior to those impressive finishes, the Korean standout had fought Kyle Nelson to a majority draw.

Get all of tonight's live results and highlights below (refresh for updates):

UFC 331 Main Card (Paramount+, 9 p.m. ET)

Joshua Van (125) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (125) – Van def. Pantoja by unanimous decision (49–46, 49–47, 50–45)

Arman Tsarukyan (156) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (155) – Tsarukyan def. Ruffy via KO (elbow) at 4:57 of Round 1

Patricio Pitbull (145.5) vs. Doo Ho Choi (146) – Pitbull def. Choi via KO (punches) at 3:28 of Round 1

Gable Steveson (240) vs. Sean Sharaf (241) – Sharaf def. Steveson via KO (punch) at 0:12 of Round 1

Alonzo Menifield (205.5) vs. Iwo Baraniewski (206) – Menifield def. Baraniewski by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC 331 Prelims (Paramount+, 7 p.m. ET)

Marlon Vera (136) vs. Charles Jourdain (135) – Vera def. Jourdain via TKO at 2:02 of Round 3

Tai Tuivasa (264.5) vs. Robelis Despaigne (263) – Despaigne def. Tuivasa by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Michael Aswell (146) vs. Joo Sang Yoo (145.5) – Aswell def. Yoo by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Ryan Gandra (186) vs. Ozzy Diaz (186) – Gandra def. Diaz via TKO (punches) at 2:04 of Round 1

UFC 331 Early Prelims (Paramount+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Edmen Shahbazyan (185) vs. Brunno Ferreira (184.5) – Shahbazyan def. Ferreira by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Casey O'Neill (125) vs. Eduarda Moura (125.5) – O'Neil def. Moura via submission (armbar) at 3:22 of Round 1

Giga Chikadze (146) vs. Joanderson Brito (145.5) – Brito def. Chikadze via KO (punches) at 1:57 of Round 1

Who are you picking to win tonight's flyweight title fight rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja? Share your predictions in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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