CombatSports.org

Colby Covington says he will not face Belal Muhammad in Real American Freestyle after their confrontation at the RAF 11 post-fight press conference. Instead, the former UFC interim welterweight champion wants a second match with Arman Tsarukyan.

Covington and Muhammad had both competed on Saturday, July 18, at RAF 11 in Milwaukee. Covington beat Tsarukyan 5-3 to become the inaugural RAF Cruiserweight Crossover champion, handing the UFC lightweight contender his first loss in the promotion and moving Covington’s RAF record to 3-0. Muhammad beat Ben Askren 6-3 in the co-main event.

The two welterweights then had a heated exchange during the post-fight press conference, where a prospective matchup was discussed. Video from the event shows Muhammad and the US-born wrestler clashing after the announcement, with security stepping in.

But Covington said in an interview with Submission Radio that he has decided to leave the Muhammad matchup behind.

Colby Covington vs Belal Muhammad match OFF

“I’ve made an executive decision. You know I’m a shareholder in RAF. We are going to move away from the Belal matchup,” Covington said. “First off, he’s on the mic at the post-fight press conference, he’s claiming to be a man of the people and be a good example, and the next second he stands up and throws a soccer kick at me and tries to attack me like a filthy animal. Like a delinquent, like a criminal. It’s just disgusting; there’s no professionalism on his side.”

Covington added that he believes he would finish the contest quickly if it happened, saying, “The company know I’ll beat him in 60 seconds or less.” He then pivoted back to Tsarukyan: “Arman deserves the rematch.”

That call is an interesting one considering the American wrestler had just beaten Tsarukyan in a tight title match. The score was level through much of the contest before the former UFC interim champion pulled ahead and controlled the closing stretch, winning 5-3. Tsarukyan entered the main event with a 7-0 RAF record, while Covington brought a wrestling background that included Division I All-American honors at Oregon State.

A Covington-Muhammad RAF match had looked like a natural next move after their public confrontation. Their planned RAF contest had reportedly been linked to RAF 12 in Cleveland, but the RAF champ has now publicly removed himself from it.

For now, the US-born wrestler appears more interested in a sequel with Tsarukyan than settling his latest score with Muhammad. Whether RAF follows his preferred direction remains to be seen, but the RAF champion has made one thing clear: the Belal matchup is no longer part of his plans.

LowKickMMA.com

Levels
| BJPenn.com

UFC

Conor McGregor expects to return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship next year.
Recent News on Sherdog.com

It’s UFC 329 fight week, and Conor McGregor has finally checked into the T-Mobile Arena, the same venue where he suffered the horrific leg injury in 2021 that kept him out of the octagon for five years.
However, now, the former UFC double champ is in great shape and will look to deliver a ‘spectacular performance’ this weekend when he runs it back with Max Holloway, whom “The Notorious” previously beat by unanimous decision in 2013.

Conor McGregor plans to remain busy after UFC 329 and is “optimistic that will be the case”

At the T-Mobile Arena, ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto interviewed Conor McGregor. During the chat, the Irishman, who has 2 more bouts left in his UFC contract, said that he would love to fight multiple times a year and “hopes to keep going.” He said:

“I love this arena. I love fight night, fight week. And God willing, I’m back here next week and the week after. How many weeks are in a year? 54? There you go. You know, I could fight every week if it’s a go. Before the injury, I had maybe three within the year. People don’t recall that. And yeah, now there you go. We plan on getting busy here. I believe I wish for it. I wish for it.”

“So, if I’m the man in the arena, right? I’m the one that’s making the walk. So, if I’m the one who’s pushing for it and campaigning for it, I’m sure that is the case. Now, I’ve said my peace with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and their staging of my bouts, and they’ve said their peace, and it’s kind of fallen on. Let’s let it happen on Saturday night and let’s talk. And I’m fine with that. I’m absolutely fine with that. Two fights left on the contract. It’s still as is. This one will be, then one. So, you know, I hope to keep going, and I’m optimistic that will be the case.”

Check out Conor McGregor’s comments below:

McGregor loves to stay active and fight at least two times a year, if not more. He has maintained that kind of schedule before, competing three or at least two times every year from 2013 to 2016, before injuries or other distractions kicked in.

Conor McGregor also said during the same interview that the catastrophic leg injury he suffered has fueled his determination to stage the biggest comeback in MMA history. This weekend at UFC 329, he plans to remind the world why he is on another level. He added:

“[I feel] absolute confidence and excitement to do my job. You know, you got to dig deep, and you got to prove to yourself you are what you say you are. And so that was what it was for me. I was using it as motivation. It takes a lot of deep internal work to return from an injury like that, and I just used that as motivation. Lovely! I wish for it to be that way cuz now I can show, and on Saturday night I’m going to show.”

Check out Conor McGregor’s comments below:

LowKickMMA.com

Primed and Ready
| BJPenn.com

UFC

Ian Garry is pulling out all the stops in preparation for his maiden title bid in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Recent News on Sherdog.com

Conor McGregor has once again unloaded on his arch-rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor believes the undefeated former lightweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer has done nothing in the sport and should not be ranked amongst the greats.

During an interview with Complex, McGregor quipped:

“Can’t even kick above their fu**ing knee. Can’t even kick. Can’t even touch their feet. That is not martial arts. That is nothing to me. Come on. The guy has done nothing in the sport. He’s got nothing in the sport. 13 fights he’s had in the company. That’s it. And three against named opponents.”

Check out the full interview below:

Conor McGregor Admits He Was ‘Doing Bad Things’ Before Khabib Nurmagomedov Fight

The Irishman claimed he had been partying before his title fight with “The Eagle.” McGregor had spent two years away from the octagon for his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. before returning to face “The Eagle” at UFC 229, yet still lasted four rounds against the undefeated Dagestani wrestling maestro before being submitted by a neck crank. During the same sitdown with Complex, he added:

“He [Khabib] had a fight against me coming off of I was off the yacht. I was doing bad things on a yacht. Yeah. I was partying heavily, and I was up to my eyeballs in court cases and all of this. I hadn’t fought in two years. I was worth 200 million. I come back and fight this fu**ing guy. I’ve done four rounds with him. I had a broken toe. I’m sure you’ve seen the Netflix show where I broke my fu*king foot three weeks before the bout. This guy’s nothing, then. Where is he now? Also, he’s gone.”

“So, I don’t rate him at all. I don’t rate him at all. No courage. The man has no courage. The man has succumbed to his pain, and it is a damn shame. I have nothing to say to him. Nothing to say about him. I don’t rate him. Never fought, missed weight, never fought above weight divisions. Three fights, no stoppages, no knockouts. Come on, man. How many more knockouts has he got? Fu**king three or four. You must be mad. You must be mad if I’m going to waste my fu**ing time watching this shi*.”

Lastly, Conor McGregor claimed that although Khabib Nurmagomedov is undefeated at 29-0, many of his early-career victories came against 0-0 opponents, and that the first half of Khabib’s career “was on his father’s shows in the middle of nowhere.”

“His first half of his work was fighting in his father’s shows in the middle of nowhere in wherever they’re from, right? He’s like 12 and 0. The opponent he’s fighting is 0 and 0… I don’t rate him at all. He has done nothing at all.”

Check out Conor McGregor’s comments below:

Conor McGregor returns to the octagon this weekend at UFC 329 to run it back with Max Holloway. If “The Notorious” defeats “Blessed,” a showdown with current 170-pound titleholder and P4P king Islam Makhachev could be on the cards next.

With “The Eagle” having no intention of coming out of retirement to face the Irishman again, a clash with Nurmagomedov’s close friend and training partner Makhachev would be the closest fans could get to revisiting one of the UFC’s biggest rivalries.

LowKickMMA.com

Contract on line
| BJPenn.com