Arman Tsarukyan and Colby Covington participated in a staredown and verbally agreed to meet in an upcoming wrestling match. The agreement came following their face-to-face confrontation, with both fighters committing to the bout. The post asks followers to pick their favorite between the two competitors. This appears to be for a wrestling-style competition rather than an MMA fight. No specific date or event details were announced for the potential matchup.
Arman Tsarukyan and Colby Covington have verbally agreed to compete against each other in a wrestling match after the two fighters came face to face in a staredown, according to a report published April 19, 2026. No date, venue, or formal event details have been announced for the potential matchup.
Tsarukyan, 29, is currently ranked number one in the UFC lightweight division and carries a professional MMA record of 23-3. The Russian fighter trains out of American Top Team and brings a well-rounded wrestling-based game to everything he does, averaging 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes in MMA competition. He stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance.
Covington, 38, is an American fighter known by the nickname "Chaos" who trains at MMA Masters. He holds a career record of 17-5 and has long been recognized as one of the sport's most active wrestlers, averaging 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes across his MMA career. He stands five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach and also fights orthodox.
Why it matters
- Both fighters share nearly identical reach measurements at 72 inches, making grappling leverage a key factor
- Covington's slight size advantage at five-foot-eleven versus Tsarukyan's five-foot-seven could influence the wrestling dynamic
- The agreement is verbal only and no official structure or sanctioning body has been confirmed
- The matchup pits the top-ranked UFC lightweight contender against a veteran welterweight with a long-established wrestling pedigree
