Connect with us

MMA

Colby Covington vs. Belal Muhammad, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo 2 official for upcoming RAF main events

Published

on

Colby Covington vs. Belal Muhammad, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo 2 official for upcoming RAF main events

UFC stars Colby Covington, Belal Muhammad, Merab Dvalishvili, and Henry Cejudo have their grudge matches booked to take pace on the RAF mats.

RAF officially announced a pair of main event bouts Saturday, with Dvalishvili and Cejudo set for a wrestling rematch at RAF 12 on Aug. 22 in Cleveland, and longtime rivals Covington and Muhammad headlining RAF 13 on Sept. 19 in Miami.

Both bouts feature gold on the line. Covington defends his RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Championship, while Dvalishvili and Cejudo battle to become the inaugural Lightweight Crossover champion. The Crossover titles were introduced to allow for UFC stars to compete for belts without having to go against RAF's elite dedicated wrestlers such as Kyle Snyder, Kyle Dake, and David Carr.

All four fighters previously held some form of UFC title, with Covington capturing an interim welterweight championship in 2018, Muhammad having a brief undisputed welterweight championship run that capped off a five-year undefeated streak, Dvalishvili winning and successfully defending the bantamweight belt three consecutive times, and Cejudo claiming titles at both 125 and 135 pounds.

Covington defeated UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11 in July to become the first Crossover champion. Later that evening, Muhammad confronted Covington at the post-event press conference and sparked a brawl. RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein initially planned for Covington vs. Muhammad to take place at the August show, but it has now officially been moved to September.

Instead, Dvalishvili and Cejudo headline RAF 12, just six weeks after Dvalishvili pulled off an incredible come-from-behind win against the Olympic gold medalist. This marks the third combat sports meeting between the two, with Dvalishvili also holding a UFC win over Cejudo from February 2024.

A catchweight bout between influencers “Larry Wheels†and Mike Holston a.k.a. “The Real Tarzann†was also announced for RAF 13.

RAF 12 and RAF 13 are scheduled to air live on the Fox Nation streaming service.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Luke Riley predicts first-round KO of undefeated Tommy McMillen

Published

on

Luke Riley predicts first-round KO of undefeated Tommy McMillen
Two undefeated featherweight prospects could be on a collision
course.

Paddy
Pimblett's teammate, Luke Riley,
has revealed that he is likely to return to
Ultimate Fighting Championship action in December in Las Vegas.
However, the Liverpool native stopped short of issuing a callout.
When asked about a potential fight against Sean
O’Malley's teammate Tommy
McMillen, Riley admitted that he likes the matchup, predicting
a quick finish.

Luke Riley likes a potential UFC matchup with fellow unbeaten
featherweight Tommy McMillen

Riley praised McMillen for bringing more attention to the
featherweight division and said he'll gladly accept a fight against
the polarizing American. The Englishman believes that he'd knock
McMillen out in the first round if they squared off.

“Me and Tommy would have a great fight,†Riley told Ronins MMA.
“Look, I like Tommy. He's bringing the fire back to the division. I
like what he's doing. So, me and Tommy would have a great fight. I
would knock Tommy out in Round 1. 100%.â€

Riley (14-0) has finished two of his three UFC wins since making
his promotional debut last year. He is coming off a first-round
stoppage of Kai Kamaka
III from this past July. Meanwhile, McMillen (12-0) has also
finished two of his three UFC wins since making his Octagon debut
this past April and has earned a bonus for each win.

The
Dana White's Contender Series signee handed fellow prospect
Marwan
Rahiki his first professional loss in a three-round war in a
Fight of the Year contender at
Noche UFC 4.

Continue Reading

MMA

Sedriques Dumas points to late opponent switch following 57-second UFC loss

Published

on

Sedriques Dumas points to late opponent switch following 57-second UFC loss
Sedriques
Dumas believes a short-notice opponent change worked against
him in his latest outing in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Dumas was originally scheduled to fight Mickey Gall
in a middleweight matchup at
UFC Vegas 121 on Sept. 26. However, Gall was pulled from the
fight due to an undisclosed medical issue less than three days
before the event.
Dana White's Contender Series graduate Luis
Hernandez stepped in on short notice and needed just 57 seconds
to force a tap via a standing guillotine choke in his Octagon
debut.

Hernandez earned a $100,000 performance bonus, while Dumas is now
winless in his last five bouts.

Sedriques Dumas addresses Luis Hernandez loss after Mickey Gall
withdrawal

Considering the late switch after Gall's withdrawal, the bout was
moved to light heavyweight and Dumas weighed in significantly below
Hernandez. Hernandez dominated from the outset and overpowered
Dumas in the grappling exchanges before locking in the finish in
just 57 seconds.

Addressing the loss, Dumas noted that he spent months preparing for
Gall. While he believes that the sudden change of opponent didn't
work out for him, he's unbothered about criticism and vows to focus
on bettering himself.

“To be real, I got nothing to say to people besides I just love
what I do and if you was in a predicament getting ready for
somebody for months, we gotta switch guess what something don’t
work out as favor,†Dumas wrote on his Instagram stories. “I give
two else about what people say how people feel I know I gotta fix
me and that’s just it. Thank you for my team and the ones I asked
you support me. Awesome hope Mickey gets well.â€

Continue Reading

MMA

Magomed Zaynukov shuts down UFC Qatar fight rumors, out until 2027

Published

on

Magomed Zaynukov shuts down UFC Qatar fight rumors, out until 2027
Magomed
Zaynukov has ruled out a return in 2026.

Zaynukov underwent surgery earlier this year for a lingering hand
injury. “Wild Chanco†is now recovering and has resumed training.
Recent rumors have linked a matchup Zaynukov and Manoel
Sousa for UFC Qatar
in November. However, he recently took to social media to shut down
the rumors.

Magomed Zaynukov says he never signed to fight Manoel Sousa at
UFC Qatar

The Dagestani lightweight also revealed that he won't be fighting
for the rest of the year, as he continues to recover from
surgery.

“I didn't sign any contract for this fight,†Zaynukov wrote on his
Instagram Stories. “I won't be fighting this year due to surgery.
I'm currently undergoing rehabilitation and recovery.â€

Zaynukov (9-0) amassed a substantial fan following as Islam
Makhachev's teammate even before joining the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. The undefeated 31-year-old made
his Octagon debut this past July, scoring a unanimous decision win
over Damian
Rzepecki after earning a contract on
Dana White's Contender Series.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending