Colby Covington has been removed from the UFC rankings due to his lack of recent fights. His last bout was against Buckley in 2024, which he lost by stoppage. Since then, Covington has been inactive in the UFC, instead focusing on a lawsuit with Jorge Masvidal and competing in RAF (a different promotion). The removal from rankings is standard UFC policy for fighters who remain inactive for extended periods. Covington's future in the UFC remains unclear as he pursues other ventures outside the octagon.
Colby Covington has been dropped from the UFC's official welterweight rankings following an extended period of inactivity, the promotion confirmed on April 21, 2026.
Covington, 38, holds a professional record of 17-5 and had long been one of the welterweight division's most prominent figures. Known by his "Chaos" nickname, the MMA Masters representative stands five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach and built his reputation on relentless volume and elite wrestling, averaging 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes throughout his career. His last octagon appearance came in 2024, a stoppage loss to Joaquin Buckley, and he has not competed in the UFC since. Instead, Covington has been active outside the promotion, competing in RAF and dealing with an ongoing lawsuit involving fellow American Jorge Masvidal.
Masvidal, 41, carries a record of 35-17 and trains out of American Top Team. The "Gamebred" veteran stands five-foot-eleven with a 74-inch reach and averages 4.05 significant strikes per minute with 47 percent striking accuracy. His legal dispute with Covington has played out publicly over the past year and represents one of the more high-profile off-cage conflicts in recent welterweight history.
Why it matters
- Covington's removal is standard UFC policy for fighters inactive over an extended period, but it signals how far his standing in the division has slipped.
- The welterweight rankings now shift, opening space for active contenders to move up.
- Covington's involvement in outside promotions and ongoing litigation leaves his UFC future genuinely uncertain.
- A return to the octagon would likely require renegotiation and a string of active appearances before he could re-enter the title picture.
