Ex-interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington retires from MMA appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
One of the most polarizing careers in UFC welterweight history has officially come to a close. Colby Covington, the former interim UFC welterweight champion, has retired from mixed martial arts competition. On Monday, UFC officials quietly updated his status from “active” to “retired” on the promotion’s official website, a change first flagged by the algorithmic X account UFC Roster Tracker.
Covington, 38, compiled a 12-5 record across 17 fights inside the Octagon and built a resume that few welterweights in promotional history can match. He notched signature victories over former champion Rafael dos Anjos, Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley, and Jorge Masvidal, names that represent some of the most accomplished fighters the 170-pound division has ever produced. He also took home interim welterweight gold to cement his status as one of the best talents of his generation.
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Despite his great success, however, he was never able to win the undisputed championship. Covington went 0-3 in title fights, falling to Kamaru Usman twice and Leon Edwards once, three heartbreaking defeats that defined a career perpetually knocking on the sport’s ultimate door without ever walking through it.
In recent years, Covington had grown increasingly frustrated with the UFC. He voiced public displeasure over a lack of meaningful fight offers and notably took exception to being left off the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 card scheduled for June 14 at the White House, an event that should have been tailor-made for a fighter who loudly aligned himself with President Donald Trump and embraced a full MAGA persona more aggressively than any other athlete in MMA history.
His retirement does not mean Covington is done competing entirely. He is scheduled to wrestle Chris Weidman on May 30 at RAF 9 in Arlington, Texas, having already made two appearances for the wrestling promotion since December 2023.
Love him or loathe him, and most people chose one or the other, Colby Covington moved the needle, sold fights, and proved he belonged among the welterweight elite. The sport will not soon forget him.
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