Arman Tsarukyan Suffers Upset Loss to Colby Covington at RAF 11

Arman Tsarukyan's determination to make it eight wins in a row on the RAF mats was spoiled by Colby Covington, who scored a rare win over the UFC lightweight to capture the promotion's inaugural cruiserweight crossover championship at RAF 11.

What happened?

Colby Covington stuns Arman Tsarukyan, claiming the inaugural RAF cruiserweight crossover championship with a 5-3 win. Covington countered Tsarukyan's single leg in the opening period with a takedown of his own, scoring a point from a shot clock earlier.

Why it matters for Arman Tsarukyan

Tsarukyan had greater success in the second period, particularly when he lifted Covington in the air, but he got greedy chasing four points and instead had to settle for two. Moments later, Covington denied Tsarukyan any switch of momentum by scoring another two points.

What comes next?

Covington maintained his lead in the third period to earn a 5-3 win, looking authoritative in claiming the inaugural RAF crossover title. The former UFC welterweight champion appeared to throw a kick at Muhammad during a scuffle at the post-event press conference.

Arman Tsarukyan's loss marks the end of his eight-match winning streak on the RAF mats. Covington's win over the UFC lightweight is a significant upset, and it will be interesting to see how Tsarukyan bounces back from this loss.

In the evening's other main event, Ben Askren impressed in his emotional farewell after illness, stuffing Belal Muhammad's takedown attempts in the first and second period, building a 3-0 lead from positional awareness and a refusal to be dominated. Fatigue eventually got the better of him as Muhammad finished strong to get it done, 6-3, by the end of the third.

Askren high-fived his way to the contest, and showed signs he was still as "Funky" as ever. After the match, Askren untied his boots to confirm his retirement from wrestling competition, saying, "For sure [this was] my last time on the mat. I love you guys … from the heart."

The event also saw Lucia Yepez retain her strawweight championship with a win by tech fall over Felicity Taylor, Trent Hidlay dominate Magomedkhan Magomedov, and Zac Braunagel defeat Pat Downey by tech fall.

**Arman Tsarukyan's record now stands at 8-1 in the RAF.**