Colby Covington removed from UFC rankings amid scrutiny

You no longer have to ask the question, "Why is Colby Covington still in the official UFC welterweight rankings? " He's finally been removed. With Mike Malott and Yaroslav Amosov entering the top 15, the latest edition of the UFC's 170-pound rankings revealed Tuesday did not include Covington for the first time since 2017.

Covington's status as a top-15 welterweight came under scrutiny in January when UFC CEO Dana White agreed it was odd to have him still ranked (then at No. 14) in a stacked division considering his inactivity. Covington fought only once in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

His most recent fight was a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley in December 2024, and he hasn't won since defeating now-retired Jorge Masvidal in March 2022. Covington shrugged off criticism from White and also fans calling for his removal from the UFC rankings. "It really doesn't matter what Dana White thinks of me," Covington told reporters in January.

"I'm a world champion. I'm Donald Trump's favorite fighter. I'm America's champion.