Colby Covington has been removed from the UFC rankings due to lack of recent fights. His last bout was against Buckley in 2024, which he lost by stoppage. Since then, Covington has not competed in the UFC while engaging in legal proceedings against Jorge Masvidal and appearing in RAF events. The UFC typically removes fighters from rankings after extended periods of inactivity to keep the rankings relevant to active competitors.
Colby Covington has been dropped from the UFC welterweight rankings, the organization confirming his removal due to an extended stretch of inactivity that has kept him off the active competitor list.
Covington, 38, carries a professional record of 17-5 and built his reputation as one of the welterweight division's most durable and wrestling-heavy threats, averaging 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes over his career. His last appearance inside the octagon came in 2024, when Joaquin Buckley stopped him — a result that capped a difficult recent run for the fighter known as "Chaos." Since that defeat, Covington has remained away from competition, instead involving himself in legal proceedings against fellow welterweight Jorge Masvidal and making appearances in RAF events.
Buckley, the man who handed Covington that final loss, is 32 years old and currently ranked 11th in the welterweight division with a record of 21-8. The southpaw out of Murcielago MMA has a 76-inch reach and lands 3.88 significant strikes per minute, establishing himself as a genuine divisional presence since the win.
Masvidal, 41, holds a record of 35-17 and trains out of American Top Team. The orthodox striker lands 4.05 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy, though his connection to this story remains outside the cage, tied to the ongoing legal dispute with Covington.
Why it matters
- Covington's removal clears a ranked slot and reflects the UFC's standard policy of keeping the welterweight ladder limited to active fighters
- His absence leaves the 170-pound division without one of its most prominent wrestling-based challengers
- Any return to competition would require Covington to work his way back into the rankings from outside the top fifteen
