Dillon Danis Gets Another Shot at Covington, This Time in Rome

Dillon Danis is getting another chance against Colby Covington. Hype Fighting has booked the two for a submission-only grappling match on November 3 in Rome, Italy, and announced it as the event's main attraction in a social media post on Wednesday afternoon.

The booking is a rematch of sorts. The pair already met under Real American Freestyle rules at RAF 7 in March, where Covington won by technical fall. This time the format changes from freestyle wrestling to submission-only grappling.

Covington's record in RAF

Covington, 38, a former UFC welterweight contender, has competed regularly since stepping away from the UFC almost two years ago. He is 5-0 under the RAF banner and holds the promotion's cruiserweight crossover championship. The trip to Rome is not his only commitment: he is also booked to face former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14.

Danis's recent results

Danis, 33, has a different recent record. Besides the defeat to Covington, he also lost to Chimaev at RAF 10. His only recent win came in an MMA exhibition at Misfits 22 in August 2025 against inexperienced opponent Warren Spencer. He left Bellator MMA more than seven years ago.

Hype Fighting presented the Rome match as the main event of its November 3 card. It comes eleven days before Covington's scheduled RAF Abu Dhabi match with Chimaev on November 14. Under RAF rules, Danis has so far lost to both men: by technical fall to Covington at RAF 7 and to Chimaev at RAF 10. The Rome match will be his first meeting with Covington under submission-only rules.