Colby Covington retires from UFC

Colby Covington has retired from UFC competition.

On Monday, UFC officials changed his status from "active" to "retired" on the promotion's official website. The transaction was first picked up by algorithm-based X account, UFC Roster Tracker.

Covington, 38, notched several key victories over the span of his 17-fight UFC career, including Rafael dos Anjos, Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley, and Jorge Masvidal. He went 12-5 and held interim welterweight gold, but never the UFC undisputed title as he went 0-3 when challenging Kamaru Usman (twice) and Leon Edwards (once).

In recent years, Covington was largely inactive. He only fought once since December 2023, though has competed twice in wrestling for RAF. He's currently scheduled to wrestle Chris Weidman on May 30 at RAF 9 in Arlington, Texas.

A polarizing figure for his antics on the microphone, Covington was one of the first MMA fighters to loudly align himself with President Donald Trump and fully leaning into a MAGA persona. Covington had voiced frustration with fight offers in recent months. He also took exception with his omission from the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event on June 14 at the White House in Washington.

Covington has not commented publicly on his retirement.