Colby Covington hasn’t fought in the UFC since he dropped a third-round TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley in December 2024. However, in January, ‘Chaos’ made a major comeback with his RAF wrestling match against UFC veteran Luke Rockhold. In the immediate aftermath, he fired off several names he wanted to face next.

The 38-year-old named Arman Tsarukyan, among others. Although he didn’t get Arman, he is now set to face controversial BJJ specialist Dillon Danis on Saturday at RAF 7 in Tampa, Florida. Tsarukyan is set to headline the same event with his rematch against Georgio Poullas. However, before the fights get underway, Covington has blamed UFC matchmaker Hunter Campbell for missing out on the Arman fight. 

“Arman is the top of my list as well,” Covington told Helen Yee during an interview. “The only reason I can’t do Arman right now is because the UFC and Hunter Campbell haven’t blessed me yet. They told me, ‘Nope, Colby, you’re not allowed to go against any active UFC fighters.’ So, unfortunately, right now, I can’t go against him or any other UFC fighters.

“But I’m going to have a talk with Hunter in two weeks in Miami when they do the show in Miami, and we’re going to talk about everything cuz I want the Arman match. That’s an exciting match. It’s two guys [who] can get on the mic and get a crowd riled up and then go out there and deliver an amazing performance.”

“We’re the two probably greatest athletes there are on this card,” he added. “So, let’s pair up and let’s see who’s the best of them all.”

Tsarukyan is coming off a second-round submission win over Dan Hooker in November last year. He was then snubbed for a title shot against Ilia Topuria despite achieving the No.1 contender status. Since then, Tsarukyan has been trying to improve his image among fans and the UFC to potentially face the winner of Topuria vs. Gaethje, scheduled for June 14 at the south lawn of the White House.

Meanwhile, if the UFC allows Colby Covington to face Tsarukyan, the latter will face his former teammate on the mat. The pair trained together at the American Top Team (ATT) when the Armenian was between 19 and 21. Covington reflected on that fact during the interview, revealing a crucial reason Arman Tsarukyan would also want the fight desperately.

Colby Covington claims Arman Tsarukyan might want revenge

Speaking to Yee, Colby Covington revealed Arman Tsarukyan helped him train for his light rounds. 

“We used to train together,” Covington said. “He used to be my light rounds when I was at ATT. Whenever I was done with my hard rounds, I would get the light rounds with Arman, and I would beat him up. He was young at the time, so I don’t want to be picking on a young kid. 

Covington added that he was at the peak of his career at the time, so Arman never really stood a chance against him. And he highlighted that the Armenian lightweight might want revenge for those days.

“He probably wants to get one back,” he added. “Cuz he never took me down, and I used to take him down pretty effortlessly.”

Covington is an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, having placed 5th at 174 pounds for Oregon State University in 2011. He was also a two-time Pac-10 Conference champion at 174 lbs in 2010 and 2011 during his junior year. 

While he has great credentials, the Arman Tsarukyan fight would only make sense if the UFC allows it and he overcomes the much younger Dillon Danis on Saturday. However, getting past a younger grappler like Danis might present a significant test for Covington after a recent bout of inactivity.