Belal Muhammad claims Covington filed restraining order ahead of RAF 13 wrestling match

Belal Muhammad has alleged that Colby Covington obtained a restraining order against him ahead of their RAF 13 main event, claiming authorities will be on standby at Watco Center in Coral Gables, Florida, when the two long-time rivals meet on the wrestling mats this Friday.

The two former UFC welterweight title contenders have feuded for years without ever settling their rivalry inside the octagon. They are now set to face off under wrestling rules in the RAF 13 main event — a format that Muhammad acknowledged limits what he can do to Covington, but one he insists will still leave his opponent hurting.

“He’s a coward. He hid behind security. He’s already trying to put restraining orders on anything happening, so now I’m going to go on the mat and I’m going to beat him up in his world,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting.

Asked to clarify the restraining order claim, Muhammad was pointed. “We’ll just say that we’re getting orders that if we hit him or something like that happens, that police will be there waiting for it to happen,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m a professional, I’m going to go out there and smash him the right way.”

The animosity between the pair escalated publicly at a press conference earlier this year, following Muhammad’s RAF debut in July — a win over fellow former UFC fighter Ben Askren. The contrast between that experience and the prospect of facing Covington was not lost on Muhammad.

“It was an honor to wrestle with Ben, and then when you go from somebody that it’s an honor to meet and work with to somebody that you hate and dislike and is a clown, that’s just the world we live in now,” Muhammad said.

Despite the unconventional setting, Muhammad is confident the outcome will speak for itself. “I’ve been waiting a long time for it. It’s not going to be a fight, but wrestling inside the trenches, it is a fight. When you’ve got a coward on one side, he’s going to wither.”