Summary
Colby Covington hasn't stepped into the octagon since UFC Tampa . Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Without having fought in the world's biggest MMA event since December 2024, Colby Covington claims he is not primarily responsible for the inactivity. In a chat with streamer 'N3on' in a video published on YouTube last Tuesday (17), Caos spoke out and again harshly criticized the organization for supposedly putting him on ice since the defeat to Joaquin Buckley . Recently, he had already criticized the UFC Casa Branca card.
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According to Covington, most of the negotiations are conducted by Hunter Campbell, Dana White's right-hand man. However, the talks reportedly have a much more assertive tone than a genuine search for consensus, according to the fighter.
“You have no voice. Hunter Campbell, who is like the UFC’s lawyer, kind of tells you which direction they’re going to take and you either accept or refuse. So you have no choice about what you want to do. They just drop you, freeze you out. They don’t give you fights and leave you there. They say, ‘Hey, you refused this fight. Now you’re not going to fight this year. You’re not going to make any money,’” Covington complained.
Colby Covington claims the UFC freezes fighters out if they say no, says Arman is dealing with it. 😳
“You're forced to take what they give you, even if it's not a good move for your career, or they'll ice you.”
(Via @N3onOnYT ) pic.twitter.com/NB5rQrF3Ar
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) March 17, 2026
Later, the former interim welterweight champion (up to 77,1 kg) shared a curious piece of information. In a sauna, he stated that the company has specific processes to avoid legal problems arising from weight cutting, a practice used by basically all athletes.
“The first thing you do after the weigh-in is sign a contract that says, ‘Hey, if you die in the UFC octagon tomorrow, your family can’t sue us.’ You sign this contract that says, ‘Hey, if you die tomorrow, you’re cleared, it’s okay,’” he added.
Covington has been away from the UFC for over a year and a half.
Joaquin Buckley defeated Colby Covington (Photo: Instagram/UFC)
Historically a difficult name to negotiate with, Covington hasn't stepped into the octagon since December 2024, when he was defeated by Joaquin Buckley via technical knockout after three rounds. In total, the American has only two wins in his last five fights. Furthermore, he has no victories against fighters still under contract with the UFC.
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