Colby Covington is venting his frustration with the UFC. And according to him, his days inside the Octagon are probably over. A major reason behind this result, he says, is the promotion’s decision to overlook him for a fight against Bo Nickal at the UFC Freedom 250 card. 

The former interim welterweight champion recently joined MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck on the third episode of Swing Rounds at Crescent Oaks Golf Club in Tarpon Springs, Florida. As they played a nine-hole scramble, ‘Chaos’ poured his heart out about his future. 

“I think it just shows me where I stand with the company,” Covington said about being snubbed for a fight against Bo Nickal at UFC Freedom 250. “…They don’t really put a lot of value on me anymore, and they’ve kind of written me off… That’s their business and their judgment. But I know I still have a lot of great years of prime to give away.

“And that’s why I’m excited Real American Freestyle came around because I [will] give these last couple years of my competitive combat career, the absolute most, and I’m gonna give RAF everything. So, I know where I stand with the UFC.” 

Covington’s last fight in the UFC was back in December 2024 when he dropped a stoppage loss against Joaquin Buckley. Since then, ‘Chaos’ hasn’t appeared inside the cage, but he did take part in two RAF fights, winning both. He has a third coming up on May 30 at RAF 09. So, watching his UFC career dwindle, the 38-year-old hinted at retirement from the promotion. 

“[I am] still thankful to UFC for everything I have and everything I’ve been able to do,” he added. “But that chapter is closing very soon. And the chapter is fully [opened] at the beginning of Real American Freestyle.”

Despite his apparent retirement from the promotion, Colby Covington has been holding on to a fleeting hope that the promotion would give him another chance. When asked whether he wants to fight for the UFC, he claimed he would love that opportunity, but the UFC hasn’t offered him a fight and has iced him. 

“I think so, I hope so, I want to,” Covington said. “… But it’s, at the end of the day, up to them… They haven’t really offered me anything, and it’s just bizarre that they’ve just kind of sat me here. I was saying it the other day… ‘They ice people when they don’t accept fights.’ I think that’s the great part about the UFC… But I haven’t turned down fights, and the fact that I’m… not getting the right fights, it’s frustrating.” 

Colby Covington had been advocating for a spot on the White House card up until it was confirmed during UFC 326 in March. While Covington didn’t get the fight, Nickal was matched against Kyle Daukaus. In the aftermath, Nickal claimed Covington had rejected a bout against him in the White House card. Now, Covington has revealed that’s not entirely accurate. 

Colby Covington reveals he was offered the Bo Nickal fight, but at the wrong place

When asked directly whether the UFC had offered him a fight against Bo Nickal, Covington claimed the UFC did reach out to him for the fight. However, the offer also involved a major caveat, which led him to decline the bout. What’s that? Well, according to ‘Chaos’, it’s the venue and date. 

“They didn’t offer me the Bo fight for the White House,” Covington said. “…Hunter Campbell specifically told me, he said, ‘The card is so small. There [are] only a couple of fights… we’ve already filled it out. We could give you the Bo fight… but we can’t guarantee that it’ll be at the White House.’”

Covington claimed he was open to facing anyone at the White House card regardless of their weight class. But the UFC couldn’t guarantee him a fight on the White House card, so he rejected the offer entirely. Then there’s, of course, the matter of the weight class. While Covington is in welterweight, Nickal fights at middleweight. Covington claimed he wanted the fight at 170.

“I want to fight in my weight class, 170,” he added. “If he wants to come to 170, no problem. It’s an easy fight. He’s not a fighter. He’s a competitor… So, I would have loved that fight, but in my weight class, 170, on a full camp.” 

From the looks of things, the UFC may not offer Colby Covington the fight he wants. So, ‘Chaos’ may have had his last fight in the UFC. And now, he appears to be entirely focusing on his career in the RAF.