"This is the next step" - Colby Covington opens up about his UFC retirement, future in the RAF
Colby Covington has shed light on his UFC departure, whilst also addressing his plans to continue competing in the RAF.
The combat sports community was recently set abuzz by reports that Colby Covington had notified the UFC of his retirement. Covington reportedly retired from MMA and has been released from the UFC after having been a part of its roster for over a decade.
The 38-year-old has now opened up about his MMA retirement and UFC departure.
Colby Covington sheds light on his UFC exit and MMA retirement
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington discussed his UFC departure. Covington suggested that he recently partook in a great meeting with the UFC CBO (Chief Business Officer) Hunter Campbell. He expressed his gratitude toward the UFC for all the opportunities he's received.
He attributed his UFC exit to the fact that it would contractually free him up to wrestle anyone in the RAF (Real American Freestyle) wrestling league. Hailing wrestling as his first love, Covington stated, "This is the next step in my combat sports career... This was just the proverbial red tape that needed to be done to clear up the biggest and best matches in RAF. So there's no limitations to who I can wrestle. I wanna wrestle everybody."
Moreover, alluding to his two-fight series against Kamaru Usman in the UFC, he called for their trilogy to transpire in the RAF as a wrestling match:
"I wanna wrestle Arman (Tsarukyan). I wanna wrestle Khamzat (Chimaev). I wanna wrestle 'Marty' (Kamaru) Usman. You know, we have unfinished business. We need to finish this trilogy. I wanna wrestle all these UFC guys."
Covington also indicated that if he ever unretires from MMA, he'll fight in the UFC:
"I didn't want anything to hold me up and get in the big matchups in RAF with all the active UFC fighters. It's just kind of what had to be done. I wasn't let go, Ariel. You know, I'm still a UFC fighter. I'll always be a UFC fighter. If I come back to fight again, it'll be in the UFC."
Watch Covington discuss the topic below:
Colby Covington sets the record straight on where he stands with the UFC and the rumors surrounding his retirement:
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 27, 2026
“This is the next step in my combat sports career: to join wrestling full-time.
This was just the proverbial red tape that needed to be handled to clear up the… pic.twitter.com/zvOoxwScTB
Colby Covington's recent run in MMA
Colby Covington is 1-2 in his past three octagon outings. His last MMA win came back in 2022 when he outpointed friend-turned-foe and ex-BMF champion Jorge Masvidal. He later faced then-UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards for the title in December 2023 and was beaten via unanimous decision.
Covington's next MMA bout, which also turned out to be his last UFC fight, was a third-round TKO defeat against Joaquin Buckley in December 2024.
Currently, Covington is booked to face former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in a catchweight matchup in the co-headliner of RAF 9 on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
During his aforementioned conversation with Ariel Helwani, Covington acknowledged that he doesn't want to get too ahead of himself in regard to thinking about possible opponents in the RAF. He asserted that Weidman is a tough challenger, notably implying that he's focused on their upcoming clash. "Chaos" also opined that he didn't need an official retirement package and send off from the UFC, besides reaffirming that he's on good terms with them.
