Colby Covington informs UFC that he has retired from MMA
Former interim UFC welterweight champion and controversial figure Colby Covington has informed the UFC that he has retired from MMA.
After it was first noticed on the UFC’s official website that he was tagged as retired, the news was later confirmed by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
Covington rose to fame by being an outspoken character, heavily leaning into being a supporter of Donald Trump and befriending the two-time U.S. president. He also leaned into making comments about fighters’ nationalities and other hot button issues as part of his persona.
He fought sparingly in recent years, last competing in December 2024 for his second straight defeat. Joining the UFC after starting his career 5-0, he won nine of his first ten in the Octagon, culminating with a win over Rafael dos Anjos for the vacant welterweight title, later stripped due to him being injured.
During his tenure, he earned three non-interim title shots, the last two coming considerably after his last win and fight in general which drew the ire of fans and his critics.
After a victory over Robbie Lawler to get to 15-1 in August 2019, the collegiate wrestling standout challenged then-champion Kamaru Usman five months later after a very tense buildup and lost via fifth round TKO, getting his jaw broken in the process. He returned nearly a year later with a win over Tyron Woodley before losing to Usman again more than a year later.
That led to the very heated rivalry with former American Top Team teammate Jorge Masvidal in a fight Covington won by unanimous decision in March 2022. The two later got into an altercation outside a Miami restaurant where Covington said Masvid.al sucker punched him. Masvidal was charged with aggravated battery and criminal mischief, later dropped to misdemeanor battery charges.
Covington then got another welterweight title shot, this coming in December 2023 against then-champion Leon Edwards in another heated buildup. Edwards picked up the decision win followed a year later by Covington falling to Joaquin Buckley by third round TKO.
The 38-year-old is currently part of Real American Freestyle and is 2-0 in wins over Luke Rockhold and Dillon Danis. He will face Chris Weidman later this month.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.