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.
