Colby Covington, the former UFC interim welterweight champion, has been removed from the promotion’s fighter roster.
Covington was among four fighters taken off the roster. He was taken out of the UFC rankings in April, and now is no longer part of the UFC roster at all.
The official UFC website now lists Covington as a retired fighter.
Covington’s UFC Career
Covington was a longtime staple of the UFC welterweight division after joining the promotion back in 2014. He fought 17 times inside the Octagon, going 12-5 overall. His biggest win came in 2018, when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos to capture the interim UFC welterweight title. He also holds notable victories in the UFC over Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley, Jorge Masvidal, and Demian Maia.
In recent years, Covington has been very inactive. His last fight came against Joaquin Buckley in December 2024, which was a TKO loss. His last win came against Masvidal in March 2022, so he hasn’t won a fight in over four years. Despite that, Covington remained part of the top-15 rankings up until last month, when he was finally dropped from them.
A month later, he has been removed from the roster, apparently due to retirement.
Could Covington Join a Rival Promotion?
It will be interesting to see if Covington remains retired or if he tries to sign with another rival promotion like MVP MMA. He does have an RAF wrestling match with Chris Weidman scheduled for the end of this month, after previously defeating Luke Rockhold and Dillon Danis in the wrestling-based promotion.
Other Fighters Removed From the Roster
Mayra Bueno Silva was also taken off the UFC roster.
The women’s bantamweight fighter, who fought Raquel Pennington for the 135 lbs title in January 2024, has lost her last five fights in a row. It’s not surprising that she has been released from the promotion based on her performance in recent years. She is 0-5, 1 NC over her last six fights, and her last victory came in February 2023, so her removal from the roster was long overdue based on her lack of success inside the Octagon. Overall, Bueno Silva was 5-7, 1 NC in the UFC.
Also removed from the roster is Brad Riddell, a lightweight fighter who had a 4-3 record in the UFC. He has lost his last three fights in a row, and his last outing came in November 2022, when he was submitted by Renato Moicano. Between his losing skid and his long layoff, this cut isn’t surprising either.
Finally, there’s Nathan Fletcher, though this release was already known, as he just competed in Cage Warriors in March. Overall, Fletcher had a 1-2 record in the UFC after an appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter.”