Colby Covington says a showdown with Georges St-Pierre on the Real American Freestyle mats could be closer than most fans think. In an interview with Vincent Falco of LowKick MMA, the former UFC interim welterweight champion revealed that RAF is actively in discussions with St-Pierre about competing at an upcoming event.
Colby Covington vs. Georges St-Pierre
Covington, who has been a fixture around the promotion since shutting out former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold via 12-0 technical fall at RAF 5 in January, was in attendance at the RAF 6 media day in Tempe, Arizona ahead of the February 28 card. He has since become a long-term partner and investor in Real American Beer, the Hulk Hogan co-founded brand that serves as RAF’s title sponsor. Speaking in an exclusive interview with LowKick, Covington said:
“There’s been a lot of traction with those matches, and we might have GSP at the next show. I probably shouldn’t give any spoilers because Chad Bronstein might come over here and beat me up, so I’m not going to say anything too crazy or give away any inside information.
“GSP is interested; he wants to come out and he still has that competitive fire, and I know the fans still want to see him. GSP, get out here. Let’s do this: America versus Canada. We’ve got that rivalry going on, especially after what just happened at the Olympics with the hockey team, so let’s go settle it in real American freestyle: Colby Covington versus GSP.
“As far as Usman, he’s showing a lot of interest as well, but he’s not going to get a title fight, so I think his career is going to be done and he’s probably going to retire. It makes sense to do this trilogy over here in real American freestyle and give the fans the biggest and best show they can get.”
Covington’s “America versus Canada” framing ties directly into the USA’s 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the men’s hockey gold medal game at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 22. The result reignited a familiar rivalry between the two nations, and Covington appears eager to channel that energy into a wrestling matchup with the Canadian St-Pierre.
The GSP pursuit has been building for months. Covington first called out St-Pierre during his post-fight interview after the Rockhold win, pointing to takedown statistics as the reason the match makes sense. St-Pierre holds the UFC welterweight record with 87 career takedowns, while Covington sits second with 70.
RAF 7 is scheduled for March 28 at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida, headlined by Kyle Dake defending his cruiserweight title against Parker Keckeisen. Whether St-Pierre appears at that event or a later card remains to be seen. The promotion has also announced RAF 8 for April 18 in Philadelphia.
St-Pierre last competed in MMA at UFC 217 in November 2017, when he submitted Michael Bisping to win the middleweight title before retiring. At this stage, GSP is largely considered the Greatest of All-Time in MMA.
Kamaru Usman in RAF?
Covington also addressed Kamaru Usman in his comments. He and Usman fought twice in the UFC, at UFC 245 in 2019 and UFC 268 in 2021, with Usman winning both. Covington has been vocal about wanting a trilogy. Usman has been open to the idea as well, having expressed general interest in competing in RAF. However, Covington’s comments suggest he views the GSP matchup as the priority.
Covington wrestled collegiately at Oregon State University, where he was a two-time Pac-10 champion and NCAA Division I All-American at 174 pounds. St-Pierre has no collegiate wrestling background but built one of the most effective takedown games in UFC history during his nine consecutive welterweight title defenses from 2008 to 2013.
RAF, co-founded by CEO Chad Bronstein and the late Hulk Hogan, launched in August 2025 and airs on FOX Nation. The promotion has quickly attracted crossover MMA talent, with Henry Cejudo headlining RAF 6 against Urijah Faber, Arman Tsarukyan competing on the same card, and Michael Chandler having headlined RAF 3. Bronstein has stated that RAF plans to move to a weekly event format by the end of 2026.
