Real American Freestyle announced that the winner of Arman Tsarukyan vs. Colby Covington will become the promotion’s first RAF Crossover Champion, giving Tsarukyan his first shot at a major combat sports title — on the wrestling mat rather than in the UFC.
Real American Freestyle said the Tsarukyan–Covington bout will decide the inaugural champion of its crossover division, a category created for elite MMA fighters and wrestlers competing under RAF rules. It is the first title the promotion will award in that division.
For Tsarukyan, the matchup marks a notable turn. He has spent years climbing the UFC lightweight rankings without securing a championship opportunity inside the octagon, and his first chance to win a belt in a major combat sports promotion will instead come in freestyle wrestling competition.
Covington brings a comparable wrestling pedigree to the matchup. A former NCAA Division I All-American, he has challenged for the UFC welterweight championship three times and carries an elite wrestling résumé of his own, setting up a contest between two fighters whose grappling backgrounds have defined their MMA careers.
Photo credit: @rafwrestlingusa