Colby Covington has grown vocal about how the UFC handles fighters and his personal experience with “take-it-or-leave-it” negotiations. The former interim welterweight champion recently shared his thoughts while speaking with popular streamer N3on.
“You have no say,” Covington said. “Hunter Campbell, who is like the UFC lawyer, he kind of just tells you what direction they’re going to go, and it’s either you take it or leave it. So, you don’t really get a choice what you want to do. They just leave you. They ice you. They won’t give you fights. They’ll just let you sit out there. They’ll say, ‘Hey, you turned down this fight, now you’re not going to fight for the year. You’re not going to make money.’ They’ll freeze you out. Even if it’s not a good move, and you’re not getting paid what you think you deserve, it doesn’t matter. They say, ‘You either accept it and be a company man, or we’ll just ice you, and you don’t get a fight to make money.’”
Covington has not competed in the UFC for 15 months. At 38, he admits that extended layoffs and the natural slowing of his body make it harder to compete at the highest level.
“So, for UFC, I think, probably in the next year or so, I’m going to be done with it, because you don’t want to take too many shots to the head when you’re later in age,” Covington said. “And my body is slowing down; my metabolism doesn’t recover like it used to. So, when I train two or three times, I don’t recover like I used to in my 20s. So, I see myself done in the next year or so. But wrestling, I know I can do for another six, seven, eight years, because it’s low-impact.”
New Ventures Outside the UFC
Although his time in the UFC may be winding down, Covington has found new life in wrestling. In January, he debuted in Real American Freestyle (RAF), defeating Luke Rockhold. His next match is scheduled against Dillon Danis at RAF 7.
“I want big names,” Covington said. “I want something that gets me excited to get out of bed. They’re talking about fighting nobodies or no-names that do nothing for me. I would just be fighting for money. I don’t want to just fight for money. I want to fight for legacy.”
Covington is clear that he wants to protect his health while pursuing a meaningful legacy, and his wrestling career will remain a focus even after leaving the UFC.
