Covington retires from UFC to pursue wrestling in RAF: 'I'm much happier now'

Colby Covington has retired from the UFC, notifying the promotion of his decision earlier this month in order to compete freely in Real America Freestyle (RAF) wrestling — including potential matchups against active UFC fighters he could not otherwise face under the promotion’s rules.

The UFC restricts its contracted athletes from competing against each other outside the organisation. By stepping away from MMA, Covington opens the door to RAF bouts with Arman Tsarukyan, Kamaru Usman, and potentially Belal Muhammad — opponents he described as his primary motivation for making the move.

“I’m not really retired, it’s just the red tape that I needed to open up all the matchups for Chad Bronstein and RAF,” Covington told MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck. “I want to go against Arman, I want to test myself on this mat in the first sport that I started in. I started in wrestling. As a little kid, this is the sport that brought me into the UFC and gave me everything I had in the UFC.”

Covington was careful to frame the retirement as procedural rather than final. He said he still trains daily, remains in good physical condition, and would not rule out returning to MMA if the right opportunity arose. “In my mind, I don’t feel like I’m retired because I would still take a fight,” he said. “But if that’s what needed to happen to get all these matchups in RAF, so be it.”

Beyond the logistics, Covington also spoke candidly about finding genuine fulfilment away from the UFC. A four-time title challenger who headlined multiple pay-per-view cards, he said a period of reflection after his most recent fight left him questioning whether he still had the drive to continue in MMA.

“I’m much happier now,” Covington said. “I’ve achieved everything. I’ve already fought for a title four different times. I already fought in seven, eight, nine different main events. So I’m thankful for everything I accomplished in the UFC, but now I’m back to my true love and my passion, RAF.”

He contrasted the atmosphere of RAF events with the combative build-up typical of UFC fight weeks. “It’s so much fun. It’s so light-hearted. You see, we’re hugging people on the stage. It’s not like that in the UFC. Here, it’s all love, and it’s family-friendly.”

MMA retirements have a well-documented history of reversals, and Covington’s own acknowledgement that he would still accept a fight leaves the door open. For now, however, the 36-year-old appears committed to returning to the wrestling mats where his combat sports career began.