Colby Covington

Colby "Chaos" Covington is a former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion with a professional MMA record of 17 wins and 4 losses and a ranking of #6 in the UFC Welterweight Division, as of December 9, 2024.

Early Life and Career

Colby started his combat sports journey in Thurston High School as a wrestler and won the 171lb(77.5kg) state championship in his senior year before going to university.

During his university years, Covington won the 165-lbs national junior college wrestling title, qualified twice for the NCAA tournament, and won the Pac-10 Conference Championship twice in the 174-lbs category before graduating in 2011.

Covington made his professional debut in February 2012 at the Midtown Productions - Midtown Throwdown 3 event. He defeated Chris Ensley via TKO (submission to a knee injury). Subsequently, he won his next four fights before signing with the UFC in 2014.

Colby Covington UFC Career

Covington made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night:48 against Anying Wand. Colby won the fight via TKO (Submission to punches). Colby would continue his winning momentum in his next bouts against Wagner Silva Gomes and Mike Pyle before he got his first professional MMA loss at the hands of Warlley Alves at UFC 194 via Guillotine choke submission in the first round.

Covington bounced back from the loss as he defeated UFC newcomer Jonathon Meunier in the third round via rear-naked choke submission. Colby then defeated Max Griffin (TKO punches), Bryan Barberena (Unanimous Decision), Dong Hyun Kim (Unanimous Decision), and Demian Maia (Unanimous Decision) before he got a UFC interim Welterweight Championship bout against Rafael dos Anjos. Colby won the bout via unanimous decision to become the UFC Interim Welterweight Champion. However, Covington was later stripped of the title due to his inability to compete against Tyron Woodley to unify the Welterweight Championship.

Covington next faced Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5. He won the bout via unanimous decision and set the record for the most strikes thrown in a UFC bout with a total of 541 strikes. After this performance, Colby got a title shot against Kumaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 245.

Covington lost the back-and-forth fight against Usman in the last minute of the fifth round after Covington failed to defend against Usman's ground and pound. Colby bounced back from this loss and defeated Tyron Woodley at UFC on ESPN+ 36 in the fourth round via TKO (rib injury).

Colby Covington rematched against Kamaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 268 on November 6, 2021. Despite a competitive fight, Covington lost by unanimous decision​

On March 5, 2022, Covington faced Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. He won the fight via unanimous decision and earned the Fight of the Night award.

After nearly a two-year hiatus, Covington returned to challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 296 on December 16, 2023. He lost by unanimous decision.

Looking ahead, Covington will step in as a replacement for Ian Machado Garry and face Joaquin Buckley on December 14, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 63.

Colby Covington Net Worth

According to reports, Covington’s estimated net worth is around $4 million. His controversial personality draws in massive audiences for his fights, which significantly contributes to his income. Additionally, the 36-year-old welterweight also has multiple sponsorships and endorsements.

Colby Covington Social Media

Colby Covington has social media accounts on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). Covington's Instagram page is filled with posts of his training montages, fight promotions, physique updates, political affiliations, and family. He boasts an impressive follower count of over 1 million on Instagram and over 487,000 on X.

Colby Covington Record

Colby Covington Most Popular Fights

Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman

Colby Covington fought Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 for the UFC Welterweight Championship. The fight was competitive as Colby outstruck Usman in the first and second rounds before Usman dominated Colby in the third and the fourth rounds seeing both fighters have almost equal strikes.

Before the start of the fifth round, One judge had the fight in Usman's favor (39-37), one judge in Covington's favor(39-37), and the last judge had the fighters in a draw(38-38). Usman dominated Colby in the last round and defeated him via TKO(punches) after Colby was unable to defend himself against Usman's ground and pound.

Colby Covington vs Kamaru Usman 2

Colby Covington rematched Kamaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 268. Covington started the fight defensively as he hesitated to throw and risked going in the pocket to land some heavy shots. Due to this hesitance, Colby dropped round 1 to the champion.

Usman knocked down Covington in the second round and ended the round with ground-and-pound as he failed to finish the challenger. Usman went defensive in round three as Colby attempted to land some heavy shots mixed with some takedowns. Colby's attempts for a takedown were all unsuccessful throughout the fight and, it was his striking that he relied on to give a competitive fight to Usman.

Usman maintained control throughout the fight and, except for the third round, he never looked to be on the back foot. In the end, both fighters embraced each other as Colby Covington lost the fight via unanimous decision.