MIAMI, September 18 — Colby Covington walked into the Watsco Center at the University of Miami on Friday night and walked out with his RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title still around his waist, defeating Belal Muhammad by shutout in the main event of Real American Freestyle’s RAF 13 card. The story begins and ends with dominance. Covington scored a quick 10 points to win the title match, a result multiple outlets described as a shutout victory.
SB Nation reported that Muhammad was “completely wiped out” by Covington and, in his post-event reaction, declined to credit Covington for his efforts. The bout had been billed as a longstanding grudge match, and it marked Covington’s first defense of the RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title.
A card built on crossover star power
The co-main event delivered its own statement. Khamzat Chimaev defeated Gilbert Burns by technical fall, accumulating 15 points — a dominant win that, paired with Covington’s performance, immediately fueled talk of a potential future RAF matchup between the two men. HEAVY reported that the two victories “fueled talks on a potential showdown on the RAF mat.” Elsewhere on the card, Joe Pyfer dominated Luke Rockhold in their RAF 13 matchup, according to SB Nation.
The event featured several crossover wrestling matches involving former UFC talent, continuing RAF’s model of pitting well-known MMA fighters against each other on the wrestling mat rather than in the cage.
What Covington said next
In post-event comments, Covington expressed interest in welcoming former rival Kamaru Usman to RAF, saying he wants to face Usman again and that he will “be waiting,” per HEAVY. Chimaev, meanwhile, was reported to be looking for a showdown against Covington next, according to SB Nation. The results left the RAF cruiserweight division and a potential Covington vs. Chimaev title bout as the central storyline emerging from the event.
MMA Junkie and SB Nation covered the card live, with results and highlights published the same evening. What to watch next: whether RAF books Covington against Chimaev, and whether Usman answers the call.
