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Covington, Muhammad Brawl at RAF 11 Press Conference

7/19/2026

Summary

Covington Brawls

At the RAF 11 press conference in Milwaukee on July 18, 2026, UFC welterweight Colby Covington and welterweight Belal Muhammad brawled after Muhammad’s missed front kick, prompting security intervention.
Covington, who defeated fighter Arman Tsarukyan 5-3 for the RAF cruiserweight title, will defend the belt against Muhammad in RAF 12’s event in Cleveland on August 22, 2026.
Security will stay heightened after a prior RAF 10 brawl between fighter Khamzat Chimaev and fighter Dillon Danis.

Summary

Covington Wins

The Covington-Muhammad showdown will be on wrestling mats, not an MMA cage, underscoring RAF’s crossover format.
Ben Askren entered his final RAF 11 match after a near-death experience and a double lung transplant.
Colby Covington improved his RAF record to 4-0 with a win over Arman Tsarukyan.
The main event of RAF 12 will pit Olympic gold-medalist Jordan Burroughs against Sean Brady at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on Aug. 22, 2026.

History

Historical Context

On 6 October 2018 UFC 229 pitted Khabib Nurmagomedov against Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, drawing a record 2.4 million pay-per-view buys. After Nurmagomedov’s submission, he leapt the cage and sparked a brawl that forced the Nevada State Athletic Commission to withhold his $2 million purse and later impose a nine-month suspension and $500 000 fine, tightening security for future mixed-martial-arts events.

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Covington Brawls

At the RAF 11 press conference in Milwaukee on July 18, 2026, UFC welterweight Colby Covington and welterweight Belal Muhammad brawled after Muhammad’s missed front kick, prompting security intervention.
Covington, who defeated fighter Arman Tsarukyan 5-3 for the RAF cruiserweight title, will defend the belt against Muhammad in RAF 12’s event in Cleveland on August 22, 2026.
Security will stay heightened after a prior RAF 10 brawl between fighter Khamzat Chimaev and fighter Dillon Danis.

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