Colby Covington has retired from the UFC, a promotion he joined in 2014. Multiple outlets confirmed that Covington has informed the UFC of his retirement, with the promotion listing him as "retired" on its official website. Social media account UFC Roster Tracker was the first to report that Covington was no longer part of the UFC roster.

Covington last competed in MMA in December 2024, when he suffered a third-round TKO defeat to Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63. The 38-year-old from Springfield, Oregon, had lobbied for a spot on the UFC White House fight card but was ultimately not included in the June 14 event. After the fight card was announced, Covington admitted that his relationship with the UFC had deteriorated in recent months and claimed that fighters typically have "no say" in negotiations.

Shifting Focus

Covington has maintained an active schedule with wrestling organization Real American Freestyle in 2026. After earning victories over Luke Rockhold and Dillon Danis earlier this year, Covington is slated to wrestle Chris Weidman at RAF 9 on May 30. In a recent interview, Covington admitted that he was primarily focused on competing for RAF going forward.

Covington won 10 of his first 11 fights in the UFC, capturing the interim welterweight title in the process. While he was successful in the Octagon, his polarizing persona in interviews and on social media helped him garner significant attention, though not all of it was positive. Covington received three shots at undisputed 170-pound gold, falling to Kamaru Usman (twice) and most recently, Leon Edwards in December 2023. He finished his UFC tenure with a 12-5 record, losing four of his last six appearances.