RAF 13: Covington vs. Muhammad Grudge Match in Miami

Real American Freestyle (RAF) rolls back into Miami tonight, and it isn’t sneaking in quietly. RAF 13 lands at the Watsco Center with a card built on crossover star power, simmering grudges, and a string of title fights that drag some of MMA’s most familiar names back onto the wrestling mats.

At the top of the bill, Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad meet at 190 lbs for the RAF Cruiserweight crossover championship, a main event soaked in animosity. Covington, the former UFC Welterweight title challenger, has made a career out of noise and needle. Muhammad, a former UFC Welterweight champion, has answered with wins, persistence, and a chip on his shoulder big enough to carry into any arena.

Tonight, they settle it under freestyle rules.

Covington vs. Muhammad: Bad Blood on the Mats

This isn’t just a novelty booking. Covington’s wrestling has always been the engine behind his suffocating MMA style, and RAF gives him a pure canvas to lean on those roots. Muhammad, far less brash but no less stubborn, steps in with his own grappling pedigree and the added motivation of putting a long-running feud to bed with a championship on the line.

No trash talk counts here. Only takedowns, scrambles, and who can impose their will when there’s nowhere to hide and no cage to lean on.

Chimaev–Burns, Reignited

If the main event drips with bad blood, the co-main drips with history. Khamzat Chimaev returns to the mats in a catchweight showdown with Gilbert Burns, a rematch of sorts for one of the most bruising UFC fights of recent years—only this time, every exchange starts on the feet and heads straight into wrestling chaos.

Chimaev’s relentless pressure and explosive entries meet Burns’ world-class grappling instincts in a purer form. No gloves. No ground-and-pound. Just position, control, and the kind of pace that tests how much both men have really kept in the tank since their last classic.

Rockhold vs. Pyfer: A Different Kind of Debut

Further down the main card, Joe Pyfer makes his RAF debut against former UFC champion Luke Rockhold at 215 lbs, a matchup that blends eras and styles. Pyfer arrives as the hungry contender, a UFC Middleweight on the rise looking to prove his wrestling can hold up under the spotlight. Rockhold, decorated and battle-worn, takes another competitive detour after a long MMA run, this time stripped back to the fundamentals of hand-fighting, level changes, and mat craft.

It’s not just old vs. new. It’s proven champion vs. surging threat, with no room for the defensive tricks that sometimes hide flaws in the cage.

Titles Everywhere You Look

RAF 13 isn’t top-heavy. It’s loaded.

• At 150 lbs, Kennedy Blades faces Diana Avsaragova for the RAF Women’s Middleweight Championship, a clash that brings elite-level intensity to a division still carving out its identity in the promotion. Blades’ attacking style meets Avsaragova’s craft, and the winner walks out with a belt that could define the next wave of women’s freestyle crossover stars.
• Austin DeSanto and Arsen Harutyunyan collide at 135 lbs for the RAF Bantamweight Championship, a bout that promises a frantic pace. DeSanto thrives in chaos, constantly pressing and scrambling, while Harutyunyan brings the kind of technical sharpness that punishes even half-second mistakes.
• Jason Nolf and Julian Ramirez square off at 175 lbs with the RAF Middleweight Championship on the line, a matchup that leans heavily into relentless offense. Nolf’s reputation as a pressure machine meets Ramirez’s resilience in what could become one of the night’s most punishing tests of conditioning.

The stakes don’t stop there. Georgios Kougioumtsidis meets Chance Marsteller at 190 lbs, Michael Caliendo faces Timur Bizhoev at 165 lbs, and Bryce Meredith takes on Movlid Khaybulaev—also at 165 lbs—in a bout that quietly carries serious intrigue for fans who track high-level wrestling transitions into MMA and back again.

Early Results Set the Tone

The night has already produced decisive moments.

• At 145 lbs, Cayden Henschel claimed the RAF Featherweight Crossover Championship with a clear points win over Johnni DiJulius, 7–2, a performance that underlined his control and composure under pressure.
• At 155 lbs, Jacori Teemer outpaced Haji Aliyev in a 9–6 points victory, a high-scoring affair that showcased Teemer’s ability to keep scoring even as the match opened up.
• Cesar Alvan delivered one of the most emphatic finishes so far, pinning Jeremiah Moody in the second period of their 175 lbs bout. In a sport where margins are often razor-thin, a pin still sends the loudest message.
• In catchweight action, Mugzy secured a second-period pin over Real Tarzann, another abrupt ending that reminded everyone how quickly momentum can flip in freestyle.

Miami Lights, Wrestling Roots

RAF 13 goes live at 8 p.m. ET, streaming exclusively on FOX Nation, and the setting feels fitting. Miami brings noise, color, and edge. RAF brings back the core of what built many of these fighters in the first place: wrestling, stripped of the extras.

No elbows. No head kicks. No judges weighing striking vs. grappling. Just position, pressure, and pride.

For Covington, Muhammad, Chimaev, Burns, Rockhold, Pyfer, and the champions-in-waiting across the card, tonight isn’t about reinvention. It’s about going back to where it all started—and proving, under the brightest lights, whose foundation really holds.