Colby Covington reacts to ‘unprofessional little clown’ Belal Muhammad starting melee at RAF 11 post-fight press conference

Colby Covington has questioned whether he will even face Belal Muhammad at the Real American Freestyle promotion's one-year anniversary show on August 22 in Cleveland, following a heated post-fight altercation at RAF 11 in Milwaukee.

The incident occurred at the press conference following RAF 11, where Covington successfully won the RAF crossover title by defeating Arman Tsarukyan, while Muhammad earned a victory over Ben Askren. Promotional officials had announced Covington vs. Muhammad as the co-main event for the upcoming card. During the presser, tensions escalated when Muhammad interrupted Covington while he was answering a question. After Covington made a jab at Muhammad, the former UFC welterweight title holder lunged at Covington, throwing a kick before security separated the two.

Speaking to media days later, Covington called Muhammad an "unprofessional little clown" and detailed years of friction between them, including what he characterized as racist comments from Muhammad about his UFC opportunities. Covington expressed annoyance at what he saw as Muhammad's hypocrisy—claiming to be a good example while acting out at the press conference—and questioned Muhammad's credentials as a fighter, noting that Muhammad only secured a takedown on Ben Askren late in their bout when Askren was exhausted.

While Covington initially said on Submission Radio that he was pulling the match entirely, he later softened that stance, suggesting he would leave the decision to a fan poll. He acknowledged that if fans wanted the fight, he would grant it, though he expressed concerns about another altercation spilling into the crowd and potentially endangering spectators or damaging the RAF brand. At press time, Covington indicated he was leaning toward pursuing a different opponent who would provide a greater challenge.

Muhammad, 38, is coming off back-to-back UFC losses, including a welterweight title defeat to Jack Della Maddalena in December 2024 and a decision loss to Gabriel Bonfim in June.