38-year-old Colby Covington has become known as one of the most outspoken fighters on the UFC roster during his 11+ year run in the promotion, but after a disappointing last few years he’s now quietly retired from the sport.

Covington hasn’t said anything publicly yet, but is believed to have informed the UFC of his decision to retire and has now been removed from the roster.

At the peak of his career Covington won the interim welterweight title in 2018 with a unanimous decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos, but he then had to give up the belt due to suffering an injury.

Covington had amassed a 10-1 record in the UFC prior to earning a title shot against Kamaru Usman in late 2019, but suffered a 5th round TKO stoppage that night that left him with a broken jaw.

That marked the start of a downward spiral in Covington’s career as he’d fight far less frequently in the final years of his career, going just 2-3, with his final bout being a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley in December of 2024.

Covington’s attention-grabbing persona was partly built around his vocal support for President Trump and the MAGA movement over the years and so he was left disappointed after being snubbed for a chance to fight on the UFC: White House card next month, which may have proved to be the final nail in the coffin for his UFC career.

Covington had recently indicated that he was now more interested in getting back to his wrestling roots after picking up wins over the likes of Luke Rockhold and Dillon Dannis on the mats via the RAF promotion, with his next match set to be against Chris Weidman.

Covington retires with an overall record of 17-5, with his biggest wins coming against the likes of Tyron woodley, Robbie Lawler, Jorge Masvidal and Damien Maia.