Belal Muhammad Challenges 4-0 Colby Covington for RAF Title at RAF 13

Q: Will Muhammad's promise of a brutal beatdown finally shatter Covington's undefeated streak, or will Chaos reign supreme?

Covington should enter as the slight favorite, but Muhammad has a credible chance to end the streak if he can force a more physical, grinding match. The clearest evidence is Covington’s RAF résumé. He is 4-0 in the promotion and just beat Arman Tsarukyan, one of the strongest wrestlers in this crossover field, by using disciplined defense, mat control and timely scoring. He also owns RAF wins over Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis and Chris Weidman. That body of work suggests his style translates well to this ruleset. Muhammad’s threat is real, but less proven. He is 1-1 in RAF, having lost his debut to David Carr before beating Ben Askren. The Askren win helped secure this title shot, but that performance was more workmanlike than destructive, and Askren was competing in a retirement match after a major health comeback. That makes Muhammad’s promise of a brutal beatdown more compelling as rhetoric than as established RAF evidence. What makes this dangerous for Covington is Muhammad’s intent. He has openly said he is not chasing a narrow points win and wants a technical fall or pin, even talking about front headlocks and big throws. If he can turn the bout into extended scrambles and make Covington wrestle at a high pace, the upset path is there. Still, based on current form, proven RAF results and a win over Tsarukyan, Covington has the stronger case to keep control and preserve his undefeated run—most likely by points rather than domination.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Mania · Sep 16

Friday’s RAF 13 main event in Miami will finally pit Belal Muhammad against Colby Covington, with the RAF Crossover Championship on the line on FOX Nation.
Muhammad said he plans to dominate Covington rather than simply chase a pin, talking up a technical fall and even possible power-bomb or suplex spots.
Covington, 38, enters 4-0 in RAF and is coming off a win over Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11, adding to earlier victories over Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis and Chris Weidman.
Muhammad, also 38, is 1-1 in RAF after rebounding from a debut loss to David Carr by beating Ben Askren at RAF 11, a result that helped set up this crossover bout.
The matchup gives Muhammad and Covington a stage for a fight that never happened in UFC, now repackaged as RAF 13’s headline attraction.