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Colby Covington says he used to ‘beat up’ Arman Tsarukyan regularly during gym sessions

Originally posted on HITC | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated Mar 26, 2026 3:13 PM ET

Colby Covington isn’t backing down from his push to fight the top lightweight contender in the UFC.

Covington, who once held the interim welterweight belt, appears to be nearing the end of his fighting days. He hasn’t stepped into the cage since December 2024 and missed his planned return earlier this year.

After not being booked for a fight at UFC 304, Covington spoke out about his issues with how things are being handled. He claimed one of those was being denied a bout outside of UFC.

Colby Covington backs himself to outwrestle Arman Tsarukyan

Covington claims the UFC blocked a wrestling match with Tsarukyan in Real American Freestyle. Both fighters have already competed in the new organisation, joining several other UFC names who have made appearances there.

In his RAF debut, Covington took a decision over Luke Rockhold. Tsarukyan has wins over Lance Palmer and Georgio Poullas this year and is set to rematch Poullas on March 28 after their post-fight clash in January.

“Chaos” has expressed interest in facing the Armenian fighter, especially given their shared history from their days training at American Top Team.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Covington once again pushed for a wrestling match against Tsarukyan, saying their past sessions give him confidence he’d come out on top.

“I want to wrestle Tsarukyan,” Covington said.

Covington doesn’t have any return dates lined up for either promotion at this point. But considering his recent move back towards wrestling and his age, it wouldn’t be surprising if his next MMA fight ended up being his last one in the sport.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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