Colby Covington RAF pay after his upset win over Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11 on July 18, 2026 is a question with no public answer — because Real American Freestyle does not disclose what it pays its fighters.
That’s the story. And it’s a more interesting story than it might appear.
What We Know — and What We Don’t
Covington won the inaugural RAF Crossover Championship, defeating Tsarukyan 5-3 on points as a +550 underdog in Milwaukee. He had to formally retire from MMA to get the match made — the UFC’s exclusivity clause blocked two contracted fighters from competing against each other in a rival promotion, even in a completely different sport.
What he earned for doing all of that: unknown. RAF has not disclosed purse figures for any fighter on the RAF 11 card. No athletic commission data exists because freestyle wrestling is not regulated by state athletic commissions the way MMA and boxing are. There is no public disclosure requirement. No verified figure has been reported by any outlet covering the event.
The same is true for Tsarukyan, Ben Askren, Belal Muhammad, Frankie Edgar, and every other fighter on the card. RAF 11 was the biggest event in the promotion’s history. Nobody knows what anyone made.
Why This Is the Same Problem From a Different Angle
The UFC’s opacity on fighter pay is one of the most consistent criticisms in MMA. Fighters are paid undisclosed amounts under confidential contracts. The UFC only discloses purses in states like California and Nevada that require athletic commission reporting — and even those disclosures don’t capture the full picture of PPV points, undisclosed bonuses, and commercial arrangements.
RAF operates with the same opacity — but without even the athletic commission floor that forces partial disclosure for UFC events held in disclosure states. Wrestling promotions are not regulated by state athletic commissions. There is no equivalent of the California State Athletic Commission publishing RAF 11 purses. The fighters competed. The promotion kept the pay private. No disclosure requirement applied.
MVP — Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions — launched in May 2026 with a publicly stated $40,000 minimum and a claimed revenue share above 50%. That transparency was a deliberate marketing choice designed to contrast with the UFC’s secrecy. RAF has made no equivalent public commitment to transparency on pay.
What RAF Has Said About Pay
RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein has spoken publicly about the promotion’s approach to fighter compensation but has not disclosed specific purse figures or a standardized pay structure. In interviews leading up to RAF 11, Bronstein emphasized the opportunity for MMA fighters to earn additional income through wrestling activity between UFC fights — positioning RAF as a supplement to UFC income rather than a replacement.
That framing is consistent with how most active UFC fighters use RAF. Arman Tsarukyan, Khamzat Chimaev, and Merab Dvalishvili have all competed in RAF while maintaining their UFC contracts. For them, RAF income is additive — extra earnings from a different sport on a different schedule.
For Covington, who retired from MMA to participate, the calculus is different. He gave up his UFC roster spot — and whatever future earning potential that represented — to compete in RAF. What RAF paid him for that is the most commercially significant undisclosed figure in the promotion’s history.
The Question the MMA Business World Should Ask
RAF positions itself as fighter-friendly — an alternative activity that keeps fighters competitive and earning between UFC bouts. Covington’s situation adds a new dimension: what does RAF pay a fighter who sacrifices their MMA career to compete?
The UFC’s fighter pay is a documented problem. The antitrust litigation, the Chase Hooper breakdown, the Jared Cannonier quotes from the same week — these are part of a public record that confirms fighters receive approximately 15-18% of UFC revenue. That record exists because UFC events are partially subject to athletic commission disclosure requirements.
RAF has no equivalent record. Until the promotion voluntarily discloses pay figures — or a fighter does — what Covington, Tsarukyan, Askren, and Muhammad made at RAF 11 will remain unknown.
For a sport that has spent years demanding more transparency from the UFC on fighter pay, that silence from an alternative promotion is worth noting.
What We Can Reasonably Estimate
Without disclosed figures, any number attached to Covington’s RAF 11 pay is speculation. What context suggests:
● RAF streams on Fox Nation, which has a significantly smaller subscriber base than ESPN+ or Paramount+. The promotion’s revenue ceiling is lower than the UFC’s.
● The promotion has consistently featured major MMA names — suggesting it pays enough to attract them. Tsarukyan, Chimaev, and Dvalishvili don’t need side income that isn’t meaningful.
● Covington’s situation — retirement from MMA to compete — implies a specific negotiated figure that compensated for the opportunity cost of leaving the UFC roster.
● No outlet has reported a specific figure. Any number we provide would be fabricated. We won’t do that.
That last point is the one that matters. The MMA Life does not publish unverified pay figures. We’ve built this site on the principle that every number needs a named source. Covington’s RAF pay has no named source. So it goes in the unknown column — where it belongs — until RAF or Covington discloses it.
The Bottom Line
Colby Covington retired from MMA, came in as a +550 underdog, and won the biggest match in RAF history. What he made for doing it is unknown. RAF does not disclose fighter pay. No athletic commission requires it to. The same opacity that fighters criticize in the UFC exists — unchallenged and undiscussed — in the promotions being positioned as alternatives.
That’s the question worth asking. When an alternative promotion tells the MMA world it treats fighters better, fighter pay transparency is the receipts. RAF hasn’t produced them yet.
For the full result breakdown, see our post on Colby Covington defeats Tsarukyan at RAF 11 at themmalife.org/colby-covington-defeats-tsarukyan-raf-11-result/ and our original coverage of the UFC contract story behind RAF 11 at themmalife.org/raf-11-covington-tsarukyan-ufc-contract/
FAQ
How much did Colby Covington make at RAF 11?
Unknown. RAF does not publicly disclose fighter purses and no athletic commission disclosure requirement applies to freestyle wrestling promotions. No verified figure has been reported by any outlet covering RAF 11. Until RAF or Covington publicly discloses the amount, his pay for beating Tsarukyan remains unknown.
Does RAF disclose fighter pay?
No. Real American Freestyle has not publicly disclosed purse figures for any fighter on any card. Freestyle wrestling promotions are not regulated by state athletic commissions the way MMA and boxing events are, so there is no disclosure requirement that applies. This means RAF fighter pay at every level — from Covington and Tsarukyan down to the preliminary card — is entirely private.
How does RAF pay compare to UFC pay?
Unknown — because RAF doesn’t disclose pay. UFC fighter pay is partially documented through athletic commission disclosures in states like California and Nevada, plus the antitrust litigation evidence confirming fighters receive approximately 15-18% of UFC revenue. No equivalent documentation exists for RAF. Whether RAF pays better, worse, or comparably to the UFC at any tier cannot be verified.
Why did Covington retire from MMA to compete in RAF?
The UFC’s exclusivity clause prohibited two contracted UFC fighters from competing against each other in rival promotions — even in a completely different sport. Both Covington and Tsarukyan were active UFC fighters when they wanted to wrestle. Covington formally retired after meeting with UFC executive Hunter Campbell, which cleared the restriction. His retirement was the mechanism that made RAF 11’s main event possible.