Arman Tsarukyan has stated his goal is to silence Colby Covington after their upcoming wrestling match in the RAF promotion. Tsarukyan declared he will defeat Covington with a dominant 10-0 score, showing complete confidence heading into the bout. The callout suggests Tsarukyan is looking to make a statement against the former UFC title contender in the wrestling league format. Details about when this match will take place were not provided in his statement.
Arman Tsarukyan has set his sights on Colby Covington outside the cage, publicly declaring he will beat the former UFC title contender by a perfect 10-0 score in an upcoming wrestling match under the RAF promotion banner. Tsarukyan made the statement with total confidence, though no date for the bout has been announced.
Tsarukyan, 29, enters the matchup as one of MMA's most dangerous lightweights. The Russian prospect out of American Top Team carries a 23-3 record and currently holds the number-one ranking in the UFC lightweight division. He lands 3.85 significant strikes per minute at a 50 percent accuracy rate and averages 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a credible threat in both a cage and a wrestling context.
Covington, 38, is a decorated wrestler who built his entire UFC career around suffocating grappling and relentless pressure. Training out of MMA Masters, "Chaos" holds a 17-5 record and averages 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes across his MMA career. His wrestling credentials are well established, which makes Tsarukyan's bold prediction all the more pointed as a statement of intent.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's callout targets Covington's most celebrated attribute — his wrestling — raising the stakes of any future interaction between the two.
- A dominant RAF result could strengthen Tsarukyan's profile as he pursues UFC lightweight gold.
- The style matchup pits two orthodox grapplers with nearly identical 72-inch reaches against each other in a pure wrestling format where Covington traditionally thrives.
- No confirmed date means the bout remains a declared intention rather than a scheduled event.
