Colby Covington left RAF 11 with the crossover belt, but he did not downplay what Arman Tsarukyan made him deal with on the mat.
Covington defeated Tsarukyan in Milwaukee after a tight wrestling match that MiddleEasy covered in the RAF 11 main event result. Speaking with Ariel Helwani afterward, Covington said Tsarukyan’s physical strength stood out immediately.
“Yeah, he was unbelievably strong, you know? One of those takedowns, he literally lifted me up from the mat and I was so surprised. I mean, just freaking picked me up like I was nothing, you know?”
That answer matters because Tsarukyan entered the match as a top UFC lightweight contender crossing into Covington’s wrestling lane. Covington is a career welterweight in MMA, but even with that size frame, he said Tsarukyan forced a hard pace late.
“It was an intense match, you know? It came down in the final seconds. He was, you know, bringing the pace and the pressure until the final seconds and the final bell.”
Colby Covington gives high praise to Arman Tsarukyan:
“He was unbelievably strong. One of those takedowns, he literally lifted me up from the mat and I was so surprised. Just freaking picked me up like I was nothing. It was an intense match, and it came down to the final… pic.twitter.com/jbkujZU7pS
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 20, 2026
Covington Still Rates Tsarukyan At The Top
The praise did not stop with the strength. Covington called Tsarukyan elite and tied his RAF performance to where he believes Tsarukyan is headed in the UFC lightweight division.
“So, you know, it was just a real joy to compete with someone of his caliber, you know? The guy’s, you know, the best guy in the world, I think, you know, in the UFC lightweight division right now.”
Tsarukyan and Covington already had a layered buildup before RAF 11, with the match framed around a crossover title and Tsarukyan’s UFC momentum. MiddleEasy covered the RAF 11 title setup before fight night, and the result became part of a busy weekend that also led to Covington’s next public feud.
“So it was amazing to compete against him, you know? It was an intense match. It came down the wire and, you know, I look forward to doing a rematch with him one time in the future, you know?”
Covington said the timing may depend on Tsarukyan’s UFC schedule. His view is that Tsarukyan could soon be occupied with a title run in the cage.
“I know he wants that rematch. So when he’s not preparing for his next fight, you know, he’s probably gonna be getting ready for a UFC title fight soon. When he’s not, you know, prepared for a fight, I look forward to welcoming him back to RAF and, you know, getting a rematch in.”
Covington’s RAF path has already moved forward after the match. He later clashed with Belal Muhammad at the press conference, which led to their RAF 12 matchup announcement. The Tsarukyan rematch, if it happens, now sounds like a future detour rather than the immediate next stop.
