Colby Covington has been removed from the UFC roster and, according to MMAFighting, it was the former interim welterweight champion’s decision to retire.
The 38-year-old Covington has called it quits with a 17-5 overall MMA record and a 12-5 mark in UFC. He went 10-1 to start his tenure with the promotion, including wins over former champions Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley and Rafael dos Anjos.
Covington also owns notable career scalps over the likes of Max Griffin, Bryan Barberena, Dong Hyun ‘The Stun Gun’ Kim, Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal, but he hasn’t tasted victory since beating Masvidal at UFC 272 in March of 2022.
Furthermore, Covington hasn’t finished an opponent since scoring a fifth-round TKO victory over Woodley in September of 2020.
‘Chaos’ won the interim welterweight strap by defeating Dos Anjos via unanimous decision at UFC 225 in June of 2018, but he was stripped of the belt due to an injury. However, after his win over Lawler at UFC Newark, he earned a title shot vs. Usman at UFC 245.
Per the judges’ scorecards, Covington had a 39-37 advantage (three rounds to one) over Usman going into the fifth and final round. The scrap didn’t make it to the judges, though.
Usman dropped Covington in the last stanza and landed a flurry of follow-up punches before referee Marc Goddard stopped the bout with 50 seconds remaining. Covington has protested the stoppage as being early for years.
Nevertheless, after his win over Woodley, Covington got to face Usman again at UFC 268. Usman collected a UD victory (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain his belt.
Since beating Masvidal, Covington has dropped back-to-back fights vs. Leon Edwards (UD at UFC 296) and vs. Joaquin Buckley (TKO in Round 3). He wanted a spot on the White House card this summer, but he wasn’t granted his wish.
“I really wanted the fight,” Covington told MMA Junkie in March. “I was campaigning with the UFC. I thought they were holding me out for that fight specifically, but they couldn’t find anybody to fight me at that event. I asked for multiple names. I left it in their court many times and said, ‘Hunter, I’ll fight any man alive. I’d prefer to fight at 170 on a full camp, but if it’s on a short-notice fight, I’ll fight at middleweight.'”