Colby Covington reveals why he prefers Kamaru Usman over ex-UFC middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev for RAF title defense after Belal Muhammad win

Colby Covington has revealed that he would prefer to defend his Real American Freestyle (RAF) title against Kamaru Usman rather than face Khamzat Chimaev next. Covington believes he and Usman still have unfinished business after their two UFC meetings. He also remains open to wrestling Chimaev, but only under specific weight conditions.Covington made the comments after his RAF 13 victory over Belal Muhammad. He said Usman is at the top of his list for a potential RAF matchup. Chimaev is also an option, but Covington does not want to move up to around 200 pounds to face him.Colby Covington wants Kamaru Usman trilogy in RAFColby Covington has made it clear that a wrestling trilogy with Kamaru Usman is his preferred next challenge in RAF.Speaking after his win over Belal Muhammad at RAF 13 in Miami, Covington was asked about his future opponents. The former UFC welterweight title challenger immediately mentioned Usman. know, it’s, it’s a long list of guys, you know, and, and thankfully, you know, RAF has so much good talent for me to really challenge and test myself. But, you know, of course, you know, the Marty Fake Newsman, we have unfinished business. You know, that trilogy is a huge matchup. So, you know, that’s probably the top of the list”, he said.Covington and Usman fought twice in the UFC. Usman won both encounters. Their first fight took place at UFC 245 in 2019, with Usman winning by fifth-round TKO. The two met again at UFC 268 in 2021, where Usman retained the welterweight title by unanimous decision.Covington has continued to dispute the results of those fights. He now sees RAF as an opportunity to settle the rivalry under a different ruleset.However, Khamzat Chimaev remains another major name on Covington’s list.Chimaev recently became part of the RAF conversation after appearing to reveal plans for a potential matchup with Covington in Abu Dhabi. Chimaev said, “Colby is not in the UFC right now, so I think we’re going to wrestle in Abu Dhabi,” before realizing that the matchup had not been officially announced.Covington is interested, but he has one major condition, “You know, Khamzat Chimaev’s up there, but, you know, we gotta get on, o- on a weight plan. You know, he can’t be being unprofessional, missing weight or, or retiring again to the common cold.”Covington has previously said that he will not move up to the 200-pound range for Chimaev. He wants the fight at 185 pounds.The former UFC fighter also named several other potential RAF opponents. His list includes Gilbert Burns, Michael Chandler, Sean Brady and Arman Tsarukyan.Covington defeated Tsarukyan in July to become the inaugural RAF Cruiserweight Crossover champion. He then defended the title against Belal Muhammad at RAF 13.For now, Usman appears to be the matchup Covington wants most. Chimaev remains an option, but only if the weight conditions are acceptable to Covington.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.