Colby Covington may not be all done in MMA.
Despite announcing his retirement in May, the former UFC **** le challenger is still leaving the door open for another go in the octagon. Covington revealed to MMA Junkie that the main reason he retired was so he could aggressively pursue his wrestling career in Real American Freestyle – something he couldn't do as an active UFC fighter.
Covington is 4-0 under RAF and recently claimed the inaugural RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Championship with a win over top UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan.
"I'm technically retired, technically, but that was just the red proverbial tape I needed to get by so I could get the biggest matchups in RAF," Covington told MMA Junkie. "Everybody knows my first love and passion was always wrestling. My dad got me into wrestling as a kid; it was a family business. He wrestled his whole life. His family, his dad wrestled, so I was just following in the lineage of the generations, following the family tree in the wrestling business. It was always my first true love and passion."
Covington's retirement from MMA might've surprised some, as he was looking to fight at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House in June. But with him not getting a spot on the card and not seeing interesting matchups outside of fighting at the White House, Covington just thought it would make more sense to focus on RAF, where he's also an investor.

#covington #House

Second-year safety Zack Harden was the talk of the town for Gophers football in the offseason. He played just 14 defensive snaps last season as a true freshman, but the departure of Koi Perich left a golden opportunity for a young player to ******* ume a bigger role. Harden was getting plenty of hype in the spring and summer, and he showed why on Thursday night against Eastern Illinois.
Harden started at safety alongside Kerry Brown. He played 12 snaps at strong safety, six at slot cornerback and nine at free safety. He produced with four total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave him a 79.2 defensive grade, which was the best in Minnesota's secondary.
Sep 3, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Zack Harden (4) celebrates during the second half against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Hailing from Covington, Georgia, Harden was heavily pursued as a high school prospect. He was just a three-star recruit, but he held notable top offers from programs such as Auburn, USC, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and many more. He was the Gophers' 11th-highest-rated signee in their 22-player class in the 2025 cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite, and he has hit the ground running.
Minnesota has had a long history of producing elite safety talent since P.J. Fleck arrived at the school in 2017. Antoine Winfield Jr., Tyler Nubin, Jordan Howden and Koi Perich have all produced at an elite level. Brown has established himself, but Harden has all the traits to be the next star at the position.

#safety #minnesota #brown

Mike Perry will not be fighting Dillon Danis this weekend in Orlando, Fla.
Perry made the announcement during Thursday's Duel Arena 1 pre-fight press conference. On 48-hours notice, former UFC fight Brandon Jenkins stepped in to face "Platinum" at Kia Center. The bout headlines the fight card.
"Let's not beat around the bush. This p*ssy ****** b*tch Dillon Danis didn't show the f*ck up," Perry said. "He's not here. He backed the f*ck out because he's a p*ssy.
"I want to give a shout out to my new opponent Brandon Jenkins. He's getting on a plane right now. He's flying here to weigh in the morning like a professional and fight me on Saturday night."
Danis pulling out of fights is nothing new. He last fought MMA in August 2025, defeating Warren Spencer at Misfits 22. He's had freestyle wresting matches in RAF against Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year and is scheduled to face Arman Tsarukyan for the inaugural RAF Middleweight Crossover Championship in the main event on October 3, 2026 at RAF 14.

#jenkins #here #mike #orlando

The MMA personality best known for constantly talking but rarely fighting is out of yet another scheduled bout.
Mike Perry announced Thursday at his pre-fight press conference that Dillon Danis is out of their Saturday MMA fight at Duel Arena 1 inside the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.
Perry said there was "no communication" from Danis, so instead the undefeated bare-knuckle sensation will face Brandon Jenkins, a former UFC competitor, in the MMA contest.
Depending on the source, Danis is either 2-0 or 3-0 as an MMA fighter, but he's spent most of his time talking about and trolling other fighters and losing grappling, wrestling and boxing matches.
He's lost his two most recent RAF matches to Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington, lost in boxing to Logan Paul in 2023, and lost four straight grappling matches from 2016-17. He last fought in MMA in 2019.

#matches #lost #grappling #thursday

Real American Freestyle is changing the schedule for two upcoming events.
Thursday, the wrestling promotion announced RAF 13 and RAF 14 will have new dates, while keeping the same location and venue.
RAF 13 was scheduled to take place Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. It will now take place a day earlier, on Friday, Sept. 18. RAF 13 is headlined by a matchup between former welterweight champions Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad. The event also features former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold vs. contender Joe Pyfer.
RAF 14 was scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, and now moves to Friday, Oct. 23. RAF 14 is headlined by a match between UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: RAF 13, RAF 14 move to new dates, promotion announces

#saturday #scheduled #take

HIGH POINT — Westchester Country Day shut out University Christian 6-0 in nonconference boys' soccer Friday at Westchester's Kennedy Field.
Eduardo Juarez Garcia had three goals and an ******* ist to lead the Wildcats (1-0). Coleman Schwartz, Joseph Brinson and Brooks Covington each added a goal, while Alex Juarez Garcia chipped in three ******* ists.
Preston Kendrick and Hampton ******* by shared time in goal.
HIGH POINT CENTRAL, PAGE
GREENSBORO — High Point Central tied Page 2-2 in the Beyond Sports Fusion boys' soccer showcase Saturday at Bryan Park.

#high #boys

ArmanTsarukyan will return to compete on Real American Freestyleless than two weeks after his next Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.

The UFC lightweight is scheduled to face DillonDanis at RAF 14 on Oct. 3 at Fontainebleau in Las Vegas. Thewrestling promotion recently announced that the match will becontested for the RAF middleweight crossover championship. The newscomes less than one week after the UFC announced Tsarukyan (23-3)will face MauricioRuffy (14-2) at UFC331 on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles.
Tsarukyan has fought just once in 2024 and once in 2025, with hislatest victory in mixed martial arts coming against Dan Hooker inNovember last year. However, he's competed in 15 wrestling andsubmission grappling matches over the last two years, goingunbeaten in all but one. In his last wrestling match under the RAFbanner, he was outpointed by ColbyCovington.

He has collected victories over LancePalmer, Georgio Poullas, UrijahFaber, KeelonJimison, TonyFerguson and KuatKhamitov in RAF so far. His next outing will be against Danisin October at RAF 14 in Las Vegas. Danis will attempt to snap atwo-fight losing streak under the RAF banner. The jiu jitsuspecialist lost to Covington in March before falling to former UFCmiddleweight champion KhamzatChimaev in June.

Before returning to RAF, Tsarukyan will face Ruffy at UFC 331.Danis will also compete in MMA before meeting Tsarukyan, as he isbooked to face Mike Perryin the Duel Arena 1 main event on Aug. 29 in Orlando, Florida,looking to extend his record to 4-0.

#vegas #championship

Real American Freestyle Wrestling
Real American Freestyle's next event is set and stacked with star power. On Saturday, July 18 in Milwaukee, RAF 11 emanates from UW - Milwaukee Panther Arena and the show will be headlined by Colby Covington and Arman Tsarukyan.
The co-main event is special as it features the return of American wrestling great and combat sports legend, Ben Askren. Let's talk RAF.
Event: RAF 11: Tsarukyan vs. Covington
Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026

Real American Freestyle (RAF) recently created a “Crossover Championship” **** le for those athletes crossing over from other sports to compete on the RAF wrestling mats. The new belt will debut as part of the RAF 11 lineup this weekend (July 18) at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, where UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan tangles with former UFC welterweight Colby Covington.
They are competing to be the champion of combatants who “cross over” but in the case of Covington, he’s not crossing back, having recently been released from his UFC contract. At the very least, it will be an opportunity for “Chaos” to win his first **** le after going 0-3 in fights for the undisputed UFC strap. Similarly, this will be the first **** le shot for Tsarukyan after “Ahalkalakets” botched his UFC 311 headliner back in early 2025.
This weekend’s headliner will be contested at catchweight for the cruiserweight championship.
Here’s their first face off:
RAF 11 streams exclusively on FOX Nation.

The start of the 2026 Kentucky Wildcats football season is coming fast, and is now just 54 days away. As it approaches, we are getting to know the players that make up the roster. This year's squad doesn't have a No. 54, but there are two players wearing No. 53, so today we're taking a look at one of them: Ben Reeves.
Reeves is a 6'2", 242 lb out of Edgewood, Kentucky. He was a defensive lineman with Covington Catholic, and recorded seven sacks in his final season there. He enrolled at Georgetown College after high school, and recorded 30 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble as a redshirt freshman last year. He the transferred to Kentucky this offseason.
Though he wasn't a highly rated recruit out of high school, Reeves has proven to be a productive player at the NAIA level. He'll bring a strong work ethic and drive to succeed to the Wildcats.
Reeves will likely be depth this season, and a potential special teamer. However, he still has plenty of eligibility remaining, and time to work his way up the depth chart. He's an easy to root for player, and a Bluegrass State product who Big Blue Nation will be rooting for.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Get to know the Kentucky football roster: No. 53 Ben Reeves

Arman Tsarukyan racked up another dominant win at RAF Georgia in his final match before clashing with Colby Covington in the RAF 11 on July 18.
Ever since arriving in the wrestling promotion, Tsarukyan has been a mainstay while appearing on nearly every show as he awaits his next fight in the UFC. On Saturday, Tsarukyan faced off with Kuat Khamitov, a veteran MMA fighter who did offer the top ranked UFC lightweight a challenge but ultimately he just couldn't keep up over three periods.
The match ended after Tsarukyan scored a lightning quick takedown with 54 seconds remaining in the match to put him up 11-0 and win by technical fall.
"Georgia thank you so much for the hospitality," Tsarukyan shouted to the raucous crowd. "Give me anybody from Georgia, I'll beat him."
A few seconds later as he was walking out, Tsarukyan dove off the stage into a crowd of his supporters as he celebrated the win.