RAF 11 Covington vs Tsarukyan takes place tonight — July 18, 2026 — at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, streaming live on Fox Nation. The match is for an inaugural Crossover Championship belt. It features two of the best wrestlers in MMA competing on a freestyle wrestling mat.
That’s the surface story. Here’s the one that matters for anyone following the business of MMA.
The Contract Story: Why This Match Almost Didn’t Happen
In March 2026, Colby Covington publicly stated that the UFC had blocked him from wrestling Arman Tsarukyan in Real American Freestyle despite both men wanting the match. The reason: both were active UFC fighters, and the UFC’s exclusivity clause prohibits contracted fighters from competing against each other in rival promotions.
The clause doesn’t just cover MMA. It extends to any combat sport competition involving another UFC-contracted athlete. A freestyle wrestling match — a completely different sport on a completely different mat under completely different rules — still triggered the restriction. The exclusivity reaches beyond the cage.
Covington’s path to making the match happen was to formally retire from MMA. He met with UFC executive Hunter Campbell and informed the promotion he was stepping away from fighting. On The Ariel Helwani Show, Covington explained the calculation:
“Yeah, so I had a good meeting with Hunter and we just talked about the future and we talked about everything that’s been done and all the business we’ve done and it was a productive meeting. Now there are no limitations to who I can wrestle in RAF.”
He confirmed he was still technically under UFC contract at the time of the retirement announcement — the retirement was the mechanism that cleared the restriction, not a contract expiration. The UFC granted his release for RAF competition purposes.
Wikipedia’s confirmed entry on RAF 11 states it plainly: “Covington was granted release from his UFC contract for the match to happen, as UFC does not permit their athletes to compete against each other in rival promotions.”
A fighter who wanted to participate in a different sport, in a different organization, in a completely different athletic discipline, had to formally end his MMA career to do it.
What This Reveals About UFC Exclusivity
The UFC’s exclusivity clause is one of the central issues in the ongoing antitrust litigation against the promotion — the second lawsuit covering fighters from 2017 to the present that remains active as of 2026.
The clause prevents UFC fighters from competing for any other MMA promotion during their contract. That part is standard for exclusive promotional deals across professional sports. What is unusual in MMA — and what the Covington situation makes vivid — is how broadly the clause has been interpreted and enforced.
Boxing and other combat sports promoters have historically noted that UFC contracts restrict fighters from competing in those disciplines as well during the contract period. The clause functions as a restraint not just on MMA activity but on an athlete’s ability to compete in any combat-adjacent sport against another UFC fighter.
Covington’s situation is the clearest recent example of the clause’s reach: two men wanted to wrestle each other. The UFC said no. One of them had to retire from his sport to make it happen.
Who Is Competing at RAF 11
| Match | Fighter | RAF Record |
| Main Event — Crossover Championship | Arman Tsarukyan (UFC #2 LW) | 5-0 in RAF |
| Main Event — Crossover Championship | Colby Covington (retired UFC WW) | 3-0 in RAF |
| Co-Main Event | Ben Askren (first match post-double lung transplant) | RAF debut |
| Co-Main Event | Belal Muhammad (active UFC WW) | RAF record TBC |
The Ben Askren vs Belal Muhammad co-main event carries its own remarkable story. Askren underwent a double lung transplant in 2025 and RAF 11 marks his return to competition — his first competitive match since the surgery. Muhammad remains an active UFC fighter competing in the co-main event of a rival wrestling promotion, raising the same exclusivity questions that Covington navigated.
What RAF Is and Why It Matters
Real American Freestyle is a freestyle wrestling promotion that launched in 2025, founded by Chad Bronstein and Israel Martinez. It recruits current and former MMA fighters to compete in wrestling matches, combining MMA name recognition with the sport these athletes often come from professionally.
RAF has featured Arman Tsarukyan, Khamzat Chimaev, Merab Dvalishvili, Frankie Edgar, Henry Cejudo, Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis, Chris Weidman, Urijah Faber, and Tony Ferguson — a roster that reads like a UFC event card.
The promotion streams on Fox Nation and has been growing consistently through 2025 and 2026. RAF Georgia, held on July 11, 2026 — the same night as UFC 329 — featured Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo.
The business model is straightforward: MMA fans recognize the names, the wrestling format keeps athletes active between UFC fights, and the promotion generates revenue the UFC does not share in. For active UFC fighters willing to navigate the exclusivity question, RAF provides income and competitive activity in the months between MMA bouts.
The Market Is Forming
The Covington situation at RAF 11 is one data point in a broader story about what’s happening to the UFC’s market position in 2026.
Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions launched in May 2026 with a $40,000 minimum fighter pay and a stated revenue share above 50%. RAF is paying active and former UFC fighters to compete in a different sport on the same weekend as UFC events. PFL absorbed Bellator and is operating its restructured tournament format. The UFC’s new broadcast deal with Paramount pays the promotion $7.7 billion — but fighters’ share of that revenue remains approximately 15-18%.
What Covington’s retirement-for-wrestling situation reveals is that the UFC’s exclusivity clause is now functioning as a constraint visible enough to create headlines. When a fighter has to formally retire from his sport to participate in a wrestling match, the clause’s reach becomes a story.
Fighters now have competing numbers to point at in negotiations — MVP’s $40K minimum, RAF’s activity pay, PFL’s tournament structure. The market is forming around the UFC’s perimeter in a way that did not exist two years ago. Whether that competitive pressure translates into changes to fighter pay or contract terms depends on whether the alternatives can sustain themselves as real businesses over a full calendar.
Tonight’s RAF 11 is one more piece of that picture. A former UFC welterweight title challenger wrestling an active UFC lightweight contender for a crossover championship belt in Milwaukee, on Fox Nation, on the same day as PFL Austin. The UFC’s market used to be the only game in town. That description is becoming less accurate.
For more on the UFC’s contract structure and the competitive landscape developing around it, see our post on Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions at themmalife.org/jake-paul-most-valuable-promotions-mma/ and our complete UFC fighter contracts explained at themmalife.org/ufc-fighter-contracts-explained/
FAQ
Why did Colby Covington have to retire to wrestle Arman Tsarukyan?
The UFC’s exclusivity clause prohibits contracted fighters from competing against other UFC-contracted athletes in rival promotions. When both Covington and Tsarukyan were active UFC fighters, the UFC blocked the wrestling match despite both men wanting it. Covington formally retired from MMA after a meeting with UFC executive Hunter Campbell, which cleared the restriction and allowed him to compete in RAF against active UFC fighters including Tsarukyan.
What is RAF and who competes in it?
Real American Freestyle (RAF) is a freestyle wrestling promotion founded in 2025 by Chad Bronstein and Israel Martinez that recruits current and former MMA fighters to compete in wrestling matches. Its roster has included Arman Tsarukyan, Khamzat Chimaev, Merab Dvalishvili, Colby Covington, Frankie Edgar, Henry Cejudo, Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis, Chris Weidman, and Urijah Faber. Events stream on Fox Nation.
Can active UFC fighters compete in RAF?
Yes — as long as they are not competing against other UFC-contracted athletes. Arman Tsarukyan competes in RAF as an active UFC fighter because most of his RAF opponents are not currently under UFC contract. The restriction that blocked Covington vs Tsarukyan was specific to two UFC fighters competing against each other in a rival promotion. Tsarukyan can wrestle non-UFC fighters freely under his current contract.
What is the UFC exclusivity clause?
The UFC’s exclusivity clause is a contract provision that restricts fighters from competing for other MMA promotions during their contract period. It has historically been interpreted to cover combat sports competition broadly, not just MMA specifically. The clause is one of the provisions cited in the ongoing UFC antitrust litigation covering fighters from 2017 to the present. Covington’s situation — having to retire to participate in a freestyle wrestling match — is the most recent high-profile example of the clause’s reach.
What happened to Ben Askren?
Ben Askren, the former UFC and ONE Championship welterweight champion, underwent a double lung transplant in 2025. His co-main event match against Belal Muhammad at RAF 11 on July 18, 2026 marks his first competitive appearance since the surgery — one of the most remarkable comeback stories in combat sports.