Colby Covington reacts to ‘unprofessional little clown’ Belal Muhammad starting melee at RAF 11 post-fight press conference - MMA Fighting

What the report says

MMA Fighting reported that Colby Covington is now uncertain whether he will wrestle Belal Muhammad at RAF 12 after a confrontation between the two nearly became a brawl during the RAF 11 post-fight press conference in Milwaukee. RAF officials had announced Covington vs. Muhammad as the co-main event for the promotion’s one-year anniversary show on Aug. 22 in Cleveland, following Covington’s RAF crossover title win over Arman Tsarukyan and Muhammad’s victory over Ben Askren.

According to the report, the press conference escalated after Muhammad interrupted Covington while he was answering a question. Covington shouted back, and after more insults, Muhammad moved toward him and threw a kick before the situation was broken up. Covington later told MMA Fighting that he viewed Muhammad’s conduct as unprofessional and said he had been frustrated by Muhammad’s comments about him over several years.

Covington, who is 4-0 in RAF, said he may ask for a different opponent instead of facing Muhammad, though he did not fully rule out the match. He had previously told Submission Radio he wanted the bout pulled, but later said fan interest could influence the decision. He also raised concerns about another incident occurring if the matchup goes ahead.

The incident matters because RAF had just set up a high-profile crossover wrestling match between two former UFC title challengers/titleholders with a long-running public feud. MMA Fighting noted that Muhammad recently earned his first RAF win after losing his promotional debut to David Carr, while his recent UFC run includes a welterweight title loss to Jack Della Maddalena and a decision defeat to Gabriel Bonfim.