Colby Covington needed less than two periods to end Luke Rockhold’s night in the RAF 5 main event from Florida.
The former All-American from Oregon State showed off his superior wrestling technique as he constantly reversed Rockhold, threw him around the mat and racked up points in a hurry. While Rockhold made a valiant effort to stay in the match, Covington’s offense was just too much as he hit a final four-point move to go up 12-0 and win with a technical fall.
Despite the lopsided outcome, Covington still praised Rockhold for his willingness to accept the challenge.
“It felt amazing,” Covington said after his win. “He felt very strong. He was a big guy. I have a lot of respect for that guy. He was a very worthy opponent and I’m honored to share the mat with Luke Rockhold.”
It didn’t take long for Covington to score a quick two points and he immediately tried to pin Rockhold to end the match. He didn’t get the finish but he got another two points to go up 4-0 in very quick fashion.
Covington got in deep on a slick ankle pick but Rockhold wasn’t giving it up and the referee eventually called a stalemate to bring them back to the feet again. A moment later, Covington got in deep on another takedown and this time he turned to get the two points as the first period came to a close.
On the restart, Rockhold shot for the first time but Covington quickly reversed with the go-behind to get another two points. The match ended with Covington grabbing the front headlock and throwing Rockhold to the ground and with another roll, he racked up four points to go up 12-0 to end the match.
While not totally unexpected given Covington’s wrestling credentials, he still gave Rockhold credit for his tenacity and flexibility during the match.
Following the win in his RAF debut, Covington turned his attention to a UFC Hall of Famer and the only welterweight with more takedowns than him when calling for his next opponent on the wrestling mats.
“You know who I want next? There’s only one person above me on the takedown list in UFC welterweight history and that’s Georges St-Pierre,” Covington shouted. “GSP get out here in Real American Freestyle and let’s make it happen.
“I’ll talk to my people and they’ll come to your people and let’s make it happen. Everybody wants to see you GSP.”
It’s tough to argue with Covington’s logic given St-Pierre’s star power and accomplishments. Now it’s up to RAF to see if it’s possible to lure St-Pierre out of retirement to clash with Covington in a wrestling match.