Covington outpoints Tsarukyan at RAF 11, Askren returns
Colby Covington beat Arman Tsarukyan by a 5-3 points decision in the Real American Freestyle 11 main event Saturday night at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The former three-time UFC welterweight title challenger took the promotion's Crossover Championship in a catchweight bout against the second-ranked UFC lightweight, per MMA Mania.
The co-main event marked Ben Askren's return to competitive wrestling less than a year after receiving a double lung transplant. The former UFC fighter and two-time NCAA Division I national champion dropped a 6-3 decision to ex-UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in a 190-pound bout.
Askren comeback headlines stacked RAF card
MMA Mania had reported Askren required the transplant after he said he "died five times" during the medical emergency. His appearance Saturday drew an emotional response from the Wisconsin crowd at the venue where he competed in the first match since being discharged from the hospital. The promotion had released a promo ahead of the event calling his recovery "astonishing."
Elsewhere on the card, Frankie Edgar beat Clay Guida 9-1 by points in a catchweight match between the two former UFC fighters. In championship bouts, Arsen Harutyunyan edged Ben Davino 6-5 for the bantamweight title, while Lucia Yepez stopped Felicity Taylor by second-round technical fall to claim the strawweight strap.
RAF 11 streamed exclusively on FOX Nation beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The promotion continues to draw active and retired MMA fighters into folkstyle wrestling competition, with Saturday's results setting up potential rematches and new crossover matchups later this year.
Original reporting:
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