RAF 9 live blog: Colby Covington vs. Chris Weidman

Colby Covington defeated Chris Weidman by points in a hard-fought match at RAF 9, clinching a 5–4 victory in the co-main event on Saturday in Arlington, Texas. The bout saw Covington, a former UFC welterweight interim champion and two-time NCAA All-American, outlast the bigger and initially dominant Weidman, who has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and won NCAA wrestling titles before his mixed martial arts career.

Weidman, a former UFC middleweight champion, came out of MMA retirement to accept Covington's challenge for this RAF appearance after retiring from the sport in 2024. Early in the match, Weidman's size advantage yielded quick takedowns and a 4–2 lead at one point, but Covington's superior conditioning and relentless work ethic paid dividends as Weidman visibly fatigued. Covington chipped away in the second period, leveling the score at 4–4, then took the lead in the third to secure the narrow victory.

Covington officially retired from the UFC earlier this month to focus fully on RAF and his first love, wrestling. He now stands 2–0 in RAF competition with wins over Luke Rockhold and Dillon Danis. After the match, Covington immediately called out Arman Tsarukyan, setting up a future clash scheduled for July 18 in Milwaukee, with the two fighters sharing a tense face-off following their respective victories.