Former UFC champion reveals he was prevented from competing against lightweight star: 'They harmed my career'

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Arman Tsarukyan at Hype FC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

With the growth of superfights between UFC stars in wrestling and grappling competitions , some athletes are becoming increasingly interested in the possibility of testing themselves in other disciplines. In this context, Colby Covington has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the way he has been treated in negotiations with the bosses of the world's largest MMA organization.

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Absent from the octagon since 2024, Covington has no wins against active fighters in the UFC. According to him, the blame for the hiatus lies with the organization itself. Besides being away from MMA, Caos was supposedly prevented from venturing into other modalities against another relevant name in the company.

“They’ve left me doing nothing for the last 14 months. They haven’t offered me a single fight. I tried to fight Arman and they said no. What sense does that make? We are self-employed workers. They are treating me unfairly, I’m fed up with it. They have harmed me throughout my entire career,” he stated.

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Colby Covington just went OFF on the UFC for not giving him a fight 😬

“They just have me sitting around for the last 14 months doing nothing. They haven't offered me one f*cking fight.

I tried to go wrestle Arman and they said no. How does that make sense? We're independent… pic.twitter.com/b5kQFSjSw2

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 13, 2026

Having difficulty finding opponents in the lightweight division (up to 70,3 kg), Tsarukyan has been increasingly venturing into the world of grappling. Last Wednesday (11), the Armenian landed in Rio de Janeiro and submitted Muhammad Mokaev with a rear-naked choke at Hype FC Brasil.

Covington is known for taking long breaks from the UFC.

Joaquin Buckley and Colby Covington fighting at UFC Tampa . Photo: Reproduction X/UFC News

Colby Covington 's relationship with Dana White and the other UFC matchmakers has never been good. The welterweight (up to 77,1 kg) has been publicly criticized by the bald man on several occasions, especially when he was still one of the top 5 names. Furthermore, the American has become less and less consistent in his fights over the years. In total, he has had five fights since 2020. Despite this, he remains ranked in the category even without a win since March 2022.