Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev turned a Friday night at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida into a statement for Real American Freestyle, the Hulk Hogan-backed wrestling league trying to prove that MMA's biggest personalities can draw a crowd without a cage. Covington defended his RAF crossover cruiserweight championship by blanking longtime rival Belal Muhammad 10-0 via technical fall in the main event, while Chimaev dominated Gilbert Burns 15-4 in an equally lopsided co-main event, according to Yahoo Sports' live results from the card.

Covington needed less than two full periods to run up the 10-point margin required for a tech fall against Muhammad, a fight that briefly paused after an eye poke before Covington restarted by slamming Muhammad into a four-point takedown, per MiddleEasy's account of the finish. Chimaev, wrestling Burns in a long-awaited rematch, needed until the second round to close it out 15-4, moving to 3-0 under RAF's freestyle rules, according to Bloody Elbow's recap of the rematch. The card, broadcast live on Fox Nation, also crowned champions in three other weight classes, including Kennedy Blades in the women's middleweight division and Arsen Harutyunyan at bantamweight, plus a heavyweight win for Joe Pyfer over former UFC title challenger Luke Rockhold.

A League Built On Real Grudges

Real American Freestyle markets itself as unscripted, pitting UFC-caliber athletes against each other in straight freestyle and folkstyle wrestling rather than the choreographed routines of traditional pro wrestling. It's the creation of WWE legend Hulk Hogan, who serves as commissioner, longtime wrestling executive Eric Bischoff and coach Israel "Izzy" Martinez, and it has increasingly become a venue for fighters to settle scores that started inside the UFC's octagon — Covington and Muhammad's rivalry, in particular, has boiled over before, including a post-fight scuffle after their earlier RAF 11 meeting.

"I know that he's a freaking strong athlete. He's going to come forward, but I know he gets freaking tired. He wants to push at a crazy pace that is impossible to keep for the whole match." — Gilbert Burns, previewing his rematch with Khamzat Chimaev

Covington didn't waste the microphone after his win, immediately calling out potential future opponents in front of the Miami-area crowd, name-checking Burns, Kamaru Usman, Tyron Woodley and Chimaev himself as targets for his next crossover title defense, a moment captured in MMA Mania's highlights of the event.

Neither Covington nor Chimaev has an active UFC fight booked, and RAF has leaned into that gap in both men's schedules to keep them competing and feuding in the meantime. With Covington now unbeaten under RAF's ruleset and openly campaigning for his next crossover opponent, and Chimaev's stock rising again after a decisive rematch win, expect the league to try to book its next marquee card around whichever grudge match gains the most traction in the coming weeks.