Covington Submitted By Rosas Jr. Before Chimaev Bout

Colby Covington's mystique took a hit when UFC bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. submitted him at Hype Italy less than two weeks before his scheduled wrestling match against Khamzat Chimaev.

The loss has former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo questioning whether Covington can compete with Chimaev at RAF Abu Dhabi later this month. Cejudo broke down the finish on his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman, noting that Rosas took Covington down and finished the match in 40 seconds, per MMA Mania.

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Covington had built momentum after dominating Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11 in July, but the quick defeat to a fighter who competes two weight classes below him in the UFC has critics circling. He currently holds the No. 1 ranking in Real American Freestyle Wrestling.

Usman Weighs In On Covington's Intensity

Usman offered a more measured take on the upset, acknowledging the technical gap between wrestling and submission grappling. He said Covington appeared unprepared for the immediate pressure Rosas brought, according to the report. Usman noted that while the loss is difficult to excuse given Covington's brand, the two disciplines require vastly different skill sets.

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Cejudo suggested the result could be forgotten if Covington beats Chimaev in UAE, though he predicted Rosas would likely repeat the performance in a potential rematch. The Chimaev bout is set to headline the RAF Abu Dhabi card later in November.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Colby Covington killed his RAF aura with embarrassing loss to Raul Rosas Jr. — ‘He’s supposed to beat Khamzat?’