Colby Covington has been removed from the UFC rankings due to his extended absence from competition. His last fight was against Buckley in 2024, which he lost via stoppage. Since then, Covington has been involved in a lawsuit with Jorge Masvidal and has competed in the RAW Fighting promotion. The UFC typically removes fighters from official rankings after prolonged periods without booking fights in the organization.
Colby Covington has been dropped from the official UFC welterweight rankings following an extended period of inactivity, with the promotion applying its standard policy of removing fighters who go prolonged stretches without a booked bout inside the organization.
Covington, 38, holds a professional record of 17 wins and 5 losses and built his reputation as one of the welterweight division's most dangerous grapplers. Fighting out of MMA Masters in an orthodox stance, the American stands five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach. During his time competing at the top of the division, he averaged 3.81 significant strikes per minute alongside an impressive 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a persistent threat both on the feet and on the mat.
His last appearance under the UFC banner came in 2024, when he suffered a stoppage loss to Buckley. In the time since, Covington has been occupied off the canvas as well, entangled in a lawsuit involving former training partner Jorge Masvidal. He has also seen action under the RAW Fighting promotion banner, though that activity was outside the UFC's purview and did not count toward maintaining his ranking.
Why it matters
- Covington was once a former interim welterweight champion and a perennial title contender, so his removal signals a meaningful shift in the division's landscape.
- His departure from the rankings opens movement for other welterweights pushing for positioning below the champion.
- Should Covington seek a return to the UFC, he would need to re-earn his ranked status through active competition within the organization.
- The move underscores how the UFC enforces its inactivity policy regardless of a fighter's historical standing in a division.
