Colby Covington Headlines RAF's First Crossover Rankings at 5-0

RAF dropped its first-ever crossover pound-for-pound rankings on Monday, and Colby Covington sits alone at the top. The current cruiserweight crossover champion is a perfect 5-0 in the promotion, with wins over Arman Tsarukyan, Dillon Danis, and a trio of former UFC champs in Belal Muhammad, Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold.

Those crossover rankings focus on athletes better known outside the wrestling bubble who still carry grappling pedigree. Covington's spot makes sense given the resume, but the names stacked behind him do most of the talking. This is a who's-who of recognizable UFC faces trying their hand on the mats.

The Champs in Pursuit

Henry Cejudo slots in at No. 2 at 2-1, and his signature RAF moment was ruthless: a 36-second pinfall over Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 12 in August to claim the lightweight crossover belt. Tsarukyan comes in third at a gaudy 7-1, with Khamzat Chimaev and Dvalishvili completing the top five. That's four former or current UFC titleholders behind Covington alone.

The UFC context adds some weight here. Tsarukyan is the No. 2 ranked lightweight on the big stage at 24-3 (10 KO, 6 SUB), fresh off a first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy. Muhammad, meanwhile, sits at 24-6 as the No. 7 welterweight, though he's dropped his most recent bout to Gabriel Bonfim. Weidman, a former middleweight king, carries a 16-8 mark into these grappling crossovers.

What's Next

The rankings landed with impeccable timing. RAF 14 goes down Friday in Las Vegas, headlined by Tsarukyan against Danis for the inaugural middleweight crossover title. In the co-main, Chimaev faces former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler.

There's more on the docket, too. Raul Rosas Jr. meets UFC veteran Clay Guida — a 38-22 grappling specialist with 15 career submissions — on Nov. 28 in Chicago, where Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis will also run it back one more time. For a promotion built on familiar names, the pipeline looks healthy.