Colby Covington walked away impressed from his RAF 11 matchup versus Arman Tsarukyan.
“Chaos” is an infamous trash talker and habitual line-stepper, yet the lead up to his high-profile RAF title match opposite Tsarukyan was fairly devoid of insults. Well, Covington spent time attacking fellow RAF 11 competitor Belal Muhammad, but he didn’t direct his venom at “Akhalkalakets.” Following a competitive match that saw Covington reverse a pair of takedowns to outpoint Tsarukyan (highlights here), Covington has nothing but positive things to say about the Armenian standout.
In fact, he’s now confident that Tsarukyan is destined for UFC gold.
“Unbelievable match. I told him, man, you’re gonna be the UFC Lightweight champ,” Covington explained Submission Radio. “I’m so convinced. No one’s gonna beat him at Lightweight, that’s a perfect division. Justin Gaethje has no chance. The pace, the wrestling, the way he mixes it up with everything — no one’s gonna stop him right now.”
He continued, “I was in peak form last night. It didn’t matter who was gonna be in there, I was going to get my hand raised because I wanted it so bad … but I felt how good Arman was. And I just let him know how much I respect him and how much I appreciate the opportunity to compete against him. I just know he’s going to go on to be the UFC Lightweight champion.”
Of course, it’s widely agreed that Tsarukyan — who has won five straight fights and was supposed to rematch Islam Makhachev for the belt in January 2025 — is an elite talent. Unfortunately, he’s yet to secure the next title shot or even a title eliminator matchup. He’s been much more active in RAF, but it feels like UFC is reluctant to book the noted hothead.
