ARLINGTON, TEXAS — Colby Covington informed the UFC that he is retiring from MMA to pursue full-time wrestling with Real American Freestyle (RAF). He is scheduled to wrestle Chris Weidman on May 30, 2026, at RAF 9 in the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Covington stated, "This is the next step in my combat sports career — to join wrestling full-time. My first true love and passion." He said he started wrestling as a young child and considers it his family business. He also stated that he personally invested in Real American Freestyle after competing against Luke Rockhold in Sunrise, Florida.

According to Covington, retiring from the UFC was a formality to allow him to compete against a wider range of opponents in RAF without contractual limitations. He emphasized that he remains under contract with the UFC and has not been released. "I wasn't let go. I'm still a UFC fighter. I'll always be a UFC fighter. If I come back to fight again, it will be in the UFC. I'm still under contract with the UFC," he said. Covington added that it is "50-50" whether he ever fights MMA again.

Covington has already competed twice in Real American Freestyle in 2026, defeating Luke Rockhold and Dillon Danis. His upcoming match against Weidman is set for 200 pounds, which he described as the heaviest of his career. He expressed interest in future RAF bouts against Arman Tsarukyan, Khamzat Chimaev, and Kamaru Usman.

Covington stated he remains on good terms with the UFC and had a positive final meeting with UFC CBO Hunter Campbell. He said he did not request a retirement package from the organization. His MMA activity had slowed since 2020, when he lost a UFC title shot to Kamaru Usman via fifth-round knockout. He fought once per year from 2020 through 2024 and did not compete at all in 2025. His most recent UFC bouts were back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards and Joaquin Buckley.