Colby Covington calls Belal Muhammad 'unprofessional clown' after RAF 11 brawl

Colby Covington unloaded on Belal Muhammad after the two nearly came to blows at the RAF 11 post-fight press conference in Milwaukee, calling the former UFC welterweight champion an unprofessional clown and threatening to pull their scheduled August match.

The incident came after both men won on Saturday night at Panther Arena. Covington captured the RAF crossover title with a win over Arman Tsarukyan, while Muhammad beat Ben Askren. Promotional officials announced the two would meet in the co-main event at RAF's one-year anniversary show on Aug. 22 in Cleveland.

Muhammad kicked Covington after heated exchange

As the presser wore on, Muhammad interrupted Covington during an answer. Covington told him to be quiet, tensions spiked, and Muhammad threw a kick at Covington before they were separated. MMA Fighting reports that Covington blamed Muhammad for losing control, saying he never interrupted Muhammad during his portion of the question period and stayed composed despite years of insults. Covington told the outlet that Muhammad once accused him of getting a UFC title shot because of white privilege and has attacked his family repeatedly.

Covington also mocked Muhammad's drawing power, pointing out that UFC executive Hunter Campbell books him in the APEX while Covington headlined Madison Square Garden and generated a ten-million-dollar gate. He said Muhammad needed five minutes to take down Askren, who was gassed, and questioned whether the former champion is worth his time. Muhammad is 0-1 in RAF Wrestling after losing to David Carr at RAF 4 in December and has dropped two straight UFC fights, including his welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena 15 months ago.

Covington told the outlet he has a fan poll running to decide whether the Cleveland match goes ahead or gets scrapped for a different opponent. He said RAF listens to the people and will abide by the vote, though he expressed concern about Muhammad taking cheap shots during the match and creating a scene that could endanger kids in the crowd.

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• MMA Fighting — Colby Covington reacts to ‘unprofessional little clown’ Belal Muhammad starting melee at RAF 11 post-fight press conference