Colby Covington has left the UFC and retired from MMA competition. The post reflects on his career, noting he was a one-time interim welterweight champion who fought for the title four times, placing him among an elite 2.16% of UFC fighters. Covington's notable wins include Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia, Robbie Lawler, Rafael dos Anjos, Dong Hyun Kim, Jorge Masvidal, and Max Griffin. His first fight with Kamaru Usman is considered Hall of Fame level. However, after leaving American Top Team, his progression stalled and he never captured the undisputed title. His media presence and popularity also declined significantly in recent years, with his controversial persona failing to build lasting brand value or business opportunities outside fighting.
Colby Covington has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts and parted ways with the UFC, closing the book on a career that made him one of the most polarizing figures in the sport's history.
Covington rose to prominence as one of the welterweight division's most relentless pressure fighters, earning an interim 170-pound title and challenging for the undisputed championship on four separate occasions — a distinction that places him among an elite 2.16 percent of UFC fighters to have competed at that level. His list of notable victories reads as a who's who of welterweight royalty, including wins over Tyron Woodley, Robbie Lawler, Jorge Masvidal, Dong Hyun Kim, Max Griffin, Rafael dos Anjos, and Demian Maia.
The win over dos Anjos came against a former lightweight champion who owns a 32-17 record and was a proven commodity at 170 pounds. The victory over Maia, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with a 28-11 record and nearly 2.5 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career, was particularly notable given how difficult Maia had proven to manage for most of the division. His defeat of Masvidal, a 35-17 veteran known for 4.05 significant strikes landed per minute, added further weight to his résumé.
Why it matters
- Covington's first meeting with Kamaru Usman is widely regarded as Hall of Fame-level, and his retirement closes a chapter on one of the great welterweight rivalries
- His departure leaves a vacancy among the division's veteran contender class
- Despite four title opportunities, the undisputed belt eluded him, and his trajectory slowed considerably after his split from American Top Team
- Outside the cage, his controversial persona ultimately failed to generate lasting commercial or media opportunities
