Colby Covington is no longer an active UFC fighter.
Rather, the former interim welterweight champ has retired. Covington was removed from the active UFC roster on Monday, as noted by UFC Roster Watch.
A report by MMA Fighting also confirmed, per UFC officials, that the welterweight star had notified the company of his retirement.
Covington (17-5) has not competed inside the octagon since a loss to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa in December of 2024. The setback was his second straight. “Chaos” had been campaigning to be part of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, which seemed like a lock given his support for U.S. President Donald Trump — especially given his entire persona is based on being MAGA.
The welterweight missed out on that opportunity, however, and just a few months back complained to Submission Radio that the UFC was “icing him out,” keeping him out of action for over a year.
Of course, retiring doesn’t mean Covington will be able to fight elsewhere, as his contract is essentially frozen instead. Meaning that, were he to return, his services would still belong to the UFC. Instead, Covington can continue to compete in RAF (Real American Freestyle) wrestling, and other endeavors like BJJ, should he desire to.
Covington faces Chris Weidman in RAF later this month.
In MMA, Colby “Chaos” Covington notched notable wins over Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos (to win interim gold), Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley, and Jorge Masvidal. In three chances to win an undisputed title, however (twice against Kamaru Usman, once opposite Leon Edwards), Covington would come up short.
