Chris Weidman says he is headed into a different kind of fight on May 30, when he meets Colby Covington at RAF 9 in a wrestling match that has already turned into a test of pride. The former UFC middleweight champion says Covington is stepping up in class, and he expects the bout to answer questions fast.
Weidman, a two-time All-American at Hofstra University, has not competed in a freestyle wrestling match in more than 15 years, but he says the old feel is still there. His last competitive wrestling match came in 2009, and he said a recent return to the wrestling room reminded him that the instincts never fully left.
“I’m not Dillon Danis. I’m not Luke Rockhold when it comes to wrestling. It’s going to be a big step up for him,” Weidman said, setting the tone for what he views as a mismatch in experience. He added that he is training as if the match will happen, but he does not believe Covington will actually step in with him. “A part of me was super excited because I think I’m going to crush him but then the other part of me is like I don’t think he’s stepping in there with me,” he said.
Covington retired from the UFC before the RAF 9 booking, but he has already made the new promotion part of his post-UFC lane. In two RAF matches, he scored dominant wins over Rockhold and Danis, then singled out Weidman as the opponent he wanted next. The May 30 booking gives him the chance to meet a decorated wrestler whose credentials go far beyond the recent names on Covington’s resume.
That is the friction in this matchup. Covington’s recent RAF run has come against fighters better known for mixed martial arts than college wrestling, while Weidman built his reputation on the mat long before he became a UFC champion. Weidman said he is not worried about the gap in combat-sports detours, saying of his wrestling: “I still kind of have it.”
He also suggested Covington may talk his way out of the challenge if the matchup starts to look uncomfortable. “I’m training as if it’s happening but I feel like there’s going to be an excuse,” Weidman said. He then sketched the kind of live, messy day that can turn a planned showcase into something closer to a gym scrap: “I’m going to start with the high school heavyweight kid,” he said, adding, “Of course, it’s a day where all the college kids were in town during spring break or whatever and they all want to wrestle me.”
The bout comes after a rougher stretch in Weidman’s fighting life, including a torn bicep while he was preparing for a boxing match against Anderson Silva that had already been signed before the injury forced him out. The 2026 UFC Hall of Famer still says the mat work remains familiar, and that matters because Covington has built this booking on the idea that his last two RAF opponents were not enough of a challenge. On May 30, Weidman will try to prove that the old skills are not only intact, but enough to shut the conversation down.
