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Share on FacebookThe highly anticipated showdown between mixed martial arts stars Arman Tsarukyan and Colby Covington finally happened. However, it did not take place inside a traditional cage. Instead, the two elite athletes stripped away the punches and submissions to face off on open wrestling mats. Headlining the RAF 11 event at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they settled their rivalry through pure freestyle wrestling. In the end, Covington used his elite collegiate background to walk away with a historic victory.
Covington, an experienced former university wrestling All-American, established his strategy very early in the match. Using his natural size advantage, he successfully slowed down Tsarukyan's fast movements. Covington scored his first point due to a rule violation when Tsarukyan ran out of time on the shot clock. Shortly after, Tsarukyan tried to grab Covington's leg, but Covington countered beautifully. He wrapped his arms around Tsarukyan's waist and took him down to the mat, building a commanding 3-0 lead by the end of the first round.
The second round brought plenty of excitement as Tsarukyan fought back aggressively. The top UFC contender actually lifted Covington into the air to score two points. However, Tsarukyan got a bit too greedy trying to land a higher-scoring throw. This mistake left him exposed, allowing Covington to quickly counter, take control, and score two more points of his own. Entering the final round down 5-2, a visibly tired Tsarukyan tried his best to attack, but Covington’s strong defense completely shut down any hope of a comeback.
When time ran out, Covington officially secured a narrow 5-3 victory on points. The win keeps Covington undefeated with a 3-0 record inside the promotion. Meanwhile, it handed Tsarukyan his very first loss on the wrestling mats. With this triumph, Covington walked away as the first-ever RAF Crossover Cruiserweight Champion.
