Tyron Woodley Rejects Covington RAF Match

Tyron Woodley has made clear that a wrestling meeting with Colby Covington is not the RAF matchup he wants to pursue. The former UFC welterweight champion is instead focused on his upcoming main event against Khamzat Chimaev at RAF’s first event in Moscow, where Woodley is scheduled to travel to Russia for the bout. Woodley’s position does not erase the history between the two former training partners, but it does establish where he believes a Covington match fits in his current plans: behind the challenges he considers bigger and more meaningful on the wrestling mats.

Woodley spoke after beginning his RAF run with a victory over Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12. That debut was described as one of the more entertaining matches on the card, with Woodley winning a back-and-forth contest. Before that match started, however, Woodley already had his next assignment booked. The quick move from Buckley to Chimaev gives important context to his comments about Covington. Woodley is not discussing a hypothetical return to wrestling without an immediate objective; he already has a Moscow main event in front of him and is framing his choices around the level of opposition he wants to face.

Woodley’s focus is on the Moscow main event

Woodley said he sees Chimaev as a bigger match than Covington, and that view is central to why he is not interested in revisiting the Covington pairing through RAF. Rather than present Covington as the inevitable next chapter because of their rivalry, Woodley described his own interest in wrestling as being directed toward the best opponents RAF can provide. His comments place the Chimaev bout at the center of that approach. The Moscow event is RAF’s first in the city, with Woodley and Chimaev set to headline. For Woodley, the match also follows directly from his RAF 12 debut. That sequence matters: he defeated Buckley, then moved into a main-event booking against Chimaev. It shows how quickly Woodley’s RAF schedule has progressed beyond old UFC animosity. Woodley also said a win over him would be a massive result for Chimaev because Woodley believes his wrestling credentials carry greater weight. That is Woodley’s assessment, not an independently established comparison, but it helps explain why he views the Moscow contest as consequential for both competitors. His stated emphasis is on a challenge with broader significance within the wrestling setting, and he regards Chimaev as fitting that description more than Covington.

The distinction Woodley draws is not merely about refusing a familiar name. He acknowledged that RAF likes Covington and said such a match could be more useful for Covington and for the promotion. But Woodley’s stated preference is to look forward rather than revisit a rivalry he says he has left behind, particularly when it comes to wrestling. In practical terms, his comments separate two ideas that can easily be blended together: a matchup that may attract attention because of history, and a matchup Woodley personally considers the highest-level sporting target. His upcoming match with Chimaev belongs in the second category according to Woodley.

Why Woodley does not see Covington as the priority

Woodley and Covington were training partners before their feud, and they later fought in the UFC. Woodley said Covington got the better of him in that UFC matchup, which came during a losing streak that eventually led to Woodley’s exit from the promotion. Still, Woodley said he believes Covington waited to compete with him until after he had lost several times. He applied that same view to the idea of a wrestling match now, saying it would be more of a thing for Covington. Woodley also offered his own evaluation of their earlier training. He said he brought Covington into camp when Covington had no money and claimed Covington never came close to taking him down. Those are Woodley’s recollections and opinions about their time together, but they explain the confidence behind his lack of interest. Woodley does not describe Covington as an opponent he needs to revisit to validate his wrestling background. Instead, he presents the proposed matchup as one that serves Covington’s interests more than his own. That reasoning is why the Chimaev booking should not be treated as a detour from a Covington rematch. Based on Woodley’s comments, it is the type of direction he prefers: a current challenge against an opponent he considers a larger match. The central news is therefore not simply that Woodley declined a familiar rival, but that he has defined the kind of RAF opportunities he wants while preparing for Moscow.

• Woodley’s confirmed RAF path: He defeated Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12 before being booked to face Khamzat Chimaev in the Moscow main event.
• Woodley’s stated preference: He said he would rather pursue major wrestling challenges, naming Jordan Burroughs and also expressing interest in Arman Tsarukyan.

Woodley has not left room for confusion about his present RAF priorities. Covington remains part of his history as a former training partner and UFC opponent, but Woodley does not see a wrestling match with him as the challenge he wants next. With Chimaev already booked for the Moscow main event, Woodley is concentrating on the assignment in front of him while identifying bigger targets he believes better match his ambitions on the mats.