Kamaru Usman addresses Colby Covington’s UFC retirement
Kamaru Usman has given his two cents on what compelled Colby Covington to retire from the UFC. Earlier this week, news surfaced that Covington has been listed as retired on the UFC’s athlete database.
Multiple media houses also reported the same, and now Usman, Covington’s former opponent, has given his take on why he believes “Chaos” chose to retire.
Colby Covington’s last UFC bout was in 2024, which he lost to Joaquin Buckley by TKO due to a doctor’s stoppage. After that setback, in 2026, Covington had his crosshairs on being part of the UFC Freedom 250 event.
There were also rumors that he might move up to middleweight to face Bo Nickal. However, the bout didn’t come to fruition, and Nickal also alleged that Covington didn’t want to face him.
The 38-year-old was also rumored to face the winner of the Mike Malott vs. Gilbert Burns bout, which the Canadian fighter won by knockout. However, the promotion didn’t announce the Malott vs. Covington matchup in the coming weeks after UFC Winnipeg.
Outside the UFC, “Chaos” has been active on the RAF mats, where he has scored wins over Luke Rockhold and Dillon Danis. Later this month, he is going to wrestle Chris Weidman.
Covington also wanted to compete against Arman Tsarukyan under the RAF banner. However, he claimed the UFC wasn’t on board with the idea and also wasn’t offering him any fights. Over the past few months, “Chaos” has frequently taken shots at the UFC brass for not offering him fights, and that could very well be the reason why he decided to retire.
Kamaru Usman believes there is “some type of disconnect” between Colby Covington and the UFC
Kamaru Usman believes Covington not getting fights as often as he wanted could be the real reason why he decided to part ways with the UFC. On Pound 4 Pound, Usman said:
“Covington has not been getting that frequency of activity; it’s not that he can’t compete, because we know he can compete. Because he’s competing at RAF and he’s doing pretty well. There is some type of disconnect between Covington and the UFC, and why they can’t get him in there, or why he isn’t getting fights he wants.”
Check out Kamaru Usman’s comments about Colby Covington below:
On Pound 4 Pound, Usman also praised “Chaos,” saying that no matter what card he’s on, fans always tune in to watch his fights, whether they love him or hate him. “The Nigerian Nightmare” also believes Colby Covington can still compete at a high level.
