\n<\/p>\n
Colby Covington<\/strong> had the opportunity to settle his longstanding rivalry with Sean Strickland<\/strong> on the wrestling mats. Instead, \u201cChaos\u201d walked away over 10 pounds.<\/p>\n Real American Freestyle (RAF) officially announced earlier today that Khamzat Chimaev<\/strong> will challenge Covington for the promotion\u2019s Cruiserweight Crossover championship on Nov. 14, 2026, inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n However, MMAmania.com has learned that another massive former UFC rivalry was initially discussed before \u201cBorz\u201d landed his championship opportunity.<\/p>\n According to multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations, RAF attempted to book Covington against reigning UFC Middleweight champion Strickland<\/strong> for its upcoming Las Vegas card on Oct. 23 at Fontainebleau.<\/p>\n Strickland was interested but requested that the crossover wrestling match take place at a 200-pound catchweight. Covington, a career Welterweight who captured RAF gold at cruiserweight earlier this year, wanted the matchup contested at 190 pounds.<\/p>\n The two sides could not bridge that 10-pound gap, and Covington ultimately turned down the Strickland matchup.<\/p>\n Perhaps Covington made the correct business decision. Strickland is a significantly larger opponent who has competed at both Middleweight and Light Heavyweight, and the outspoken champion previously defeated Chimaev to capture UFC\u2019s 185-pound crown at UFC 328.<\/p>\n Covington captured the RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title by defeating Arman Tsarukyan<\/strong> and successfully defended it against Belal Muhammad<\/strong> earlier this month. \u201cChaos\u201d remains undefeated through five RAF appearances, also owning victories over Chris Weidman<\/strong>, Dillon Danis<\/strong> and Luke Rockhold<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Chimaev, meanwhile, is 3-0 on the RAF mats, scoring wins over Danis, Tyron Woodley<\/strong> and Gilbert Burns<\/strong>. He will have to get past Lawler in Las Vegas before finally settling his longtime rivalry with Covington in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n For now, Strickland\u2019s RAF debut will have to wait.<\/p>\n