Colby Covington - The Former UFC Welterweight Champion & MMA Sensation

Colby Covington is a decorated American mixed martial artist and is currently renowned as the top fighter in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Colby has showcased his exceptional grappling skills, gaining prominence among the top welterweight athletes. His entire mixed martial arts record is a true representation of his phenomenal fighting skills.

The entire grappling and wrestling record of Colby is a true reflection of his hard work and professional skills. Colby is one of those fighters who defeated various top fighters and secured winning titles in numerous tournaments. In 2013, Colby was declared the winner and won the gold medal at the FILA Grappling No-Gi World Championship. Colby also won multiple UFC events, and his victories against Mike Pyle and Wagner Silva are unforgettable. Similarly, he also defeated Demian Maia, Dong Hyun Kim, Max Griffin Bryan Barberena, etc., by using his various top MMA skills.

Colby was born on February 22, 1998, in Clovis, California, but left his birthplace at the age of eight when his family migrated to Oregon. Colby had an innate interest in wrestling as his father served as a professional wrestler at the Oregon Institute of Technology. As a result, Colby learned various basic strategies of wrestling from his father.

Colby’s father enrolled him in Thurston High School, where he started his journey in combat sports through wrestling. Due to his innate skills, Colby participated in various wrestling championships. In 2006, Colby secured the winning title of the 171 lb (77.5kg) state championship in wrestling.

Colby applied to Arizona State University but unfortunately failed the entrance test, so he took admission to Iowa Central Community College. During those years, he participated in various college-level tournaments and secured victories. In 2007, Colby won the wrestling title at the 165 lb national junior college championship. Colby amazed the people with his impressive record of 34-0. He was also declared a two-time champion of the Pac-10 Conference tournament that was held in the 174 lbs weight category. Similarly, Colby also qualified two times for the NCAA Championship. During his senior college years, he shared the room with the future UFC fighter Jon Jones.

In 2011, Colby Covington completed his graduation in Sociology. After completing his education, Colby shifted his focus to his wrestling and grappling career, where he learned various advanced skills.

Colby Covington, initially a collegiate wrestler, completed his career in 2011. Due to his outstanding wrestling skills, he was selected by Dan Lambert to join the American Top Team and help improve the wrestling skills of other athletes and students in the gym. Eventually, Covington began his professional wrestling career and amassed an impressive record of 5-0. This record gained Covington the fame and standing he needed to sign with the UFC, which he did in the summer of 2014.

In February 2012, Colby made his first-ever professional MMA debut at the Midtown Throwdown 3 event, where he defeated Chris Ensley by executing a technical knockout finish that resulted in his opponent’s knee injury. This fight is considered his lucky charm, as he also succeeded in the next four tournaments.

Just like other veteran MMA fighters, Colby also defeated Jason Jackson, the top Jamaican mixed martial artist, in round three of the 2012 Fight Time 10: It’s Personal event via unanimous decision.

On August 23, 2014, Colby entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship world and fought against Anying Wang at UFC Fight Night 48. Colby smartly applied the punches and won the match via technical knockout in the closing seconds of the first round.

Winning his first fight against Anying Wang gave Covington a much-needed boost of confidence and his eyes were now set on the UFC Welterweight Champion title, which he achieved after a series of intense UFC fights.

On November 08, 2014, Covington competed against Wagner Silva at the UFC Fight Night event. Covington had a strong start and refused to fade at any point in the bout. He won the bout via submission in round three.

His next bout was scheduled against Mike Pyle on May 23, 2015. Both fighters demonstrated their best fighting skills at the UFC 187 event; however, Covington emerged victorious via unanimous decision. Initially, Covington was expected to compete against Sean Spencer, who withdrew due to an injury and was replaced by Mike Pyle.

On December 12, 2015, Covington competed against Warlley Alves at the UFC 194 event. At this event, he experienced his first UFC defeat. Warlley Alves easily dominated Covington and submitted him in round one.

On June 18, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 89, Covington was all set to make a strong comeback and defeat Alex Garcia. However, the promotion dropped Garcia on June 10, 2016, and was replaced by Jonathan Meunier, a newcomer. Covington defeated his opponent via submission in round three.

On August 20, 2016, at UFC 202, Covington competed against another UFC newcomer, Max Griffin. He defeated his opponent in round three via a well-executed TKO finish.

Colby’s another UFC victory was against Bryan Barberena who he defeated via unanimous decision. The bout was scheduled on December 17, 2016, at UFC on Fox 22.

On June 17, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 111, Covington competed against Dong Hyun Kim and won the bout via unanimous decision.

Colby fought the final fight of his first UFC contract against Demian Maia. The bout took place on October 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 119. Both fighters tried their best to outperform and dominate the other; however, Covington took the lead and won via unanimous decision.

On June 09, 2018, Colby Covington competed against Rafael dos Anjos for the Interim UFC Welterweight title and won the bout via unanimous decision.

On September 08, 2018, at UFC 228, Colby Covington was scheduled to compete against Tyron Woodley for a title unification bout. Covington was unable to fight due to his nasal surgery. Consequently, the promotion decided to arrange a bout between Darren Till and Tyron Woodley for the headline spot. However, on June 24, the UFC officials highlighted that Covington would be stripped off his Interim UFC Welterweight bout, if the Woodley vs. Till fight was scheduled.

On August 03, 2019, Covington returned to the UFC on ESPN 5 to compete against Robbie Lawler. He not only won this bout via a lopsided unanimous decision but also set a spectacular record for the most strikes landed in a UFC fight, with his 541 strike count.

Although Colby’s UFC career is filled with numerous victories; however, at UFC 245, he had to face a loss against Kamaru Usman. In the initial first and second rounds, Colby had better control over his opponent, Usman, but in the third and fourth rounds, both fighters showed an equal number of strikes. At the end of the fourth round, there was a conflict in terms of judges' opinions as one judge favored Usman, and the other was inclined toward Colby. While the third judge expressed a draw. Unfortunately, in the last round, Colby lost control over his opponent as Usman quickly executed a technical knockout and won the match.

In this match, Covington broke his jaw in the third round. He managed to earn a UFC post-fight bonus for the Fight of the Night.

As Colby was developing a successful UFC career, he was also engaging in public feuds with various representatives of the American Top Team, including Jorge Masvidal, Dustin Poirier, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Though trash-talking culture is on the rise in both BJJ and MMA circuits, it resulted in Covington parting ways with his first MMA gym.

On September 19, 2020, Covington competed against Tyron Woodley at UFC Fight Night 178. Covington dominated Woodley, his long-time rival, for four rounds. Eventually, Covington defeated Woodley via TKO which caused a severe rib injury.

On March 05, 2022, Covington competed against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. He not only won the bout via unanimous decision but also earned the Fight of the Night award by showcasing his ruthless fighting skills.

On November 06, 2021, Colby had a rematch against Kamaru Usman at the UFC 268 Welterweight Championship and again faced a loss in the tournament. Although Colby attempted various takedown attempts, unfortunately, Usman won the match via unanimous decision.

On December 16, 2023, at UFC 296, Covington made a comeback to the UFC Octagon after a nearly two-year hiatus. Covington competed against Leon Edwards in the main event for the highly-coveted UFC Welterweight Championship title. Unfortunately, he lost the big bout via unanimous decision.

Colby Covington earned his BJJ black belt under the supervision of his renowned instructor, Daniel Valverde, who praised him by saying that Colby achieved this black belt status in the training gym. He said:

UFC President Dana White has recently announced the upcoming title bout for UFC 296. On December 16, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Colby Covington will face Leon Edwards.

The most recent clash that came under the limelight was between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. Both of these fighters used to be good friends and lived together for a longer period. Due to their friendly relationship, they spent more time sparring together. They not only assist each other in training but also in their personal life. However, after some time, their relationship became strained and soon they became rivals. People reported various reasons, but according to Masvidal, Colby did not pay the pre-set charges to his striking instructor for his services.

On March 22, 2022, it was reported that Jorge Masvidal assaulted Covington outside the Miami Beach Papi Steak eatery. Covington had recently defeated Masvidal at UFC 272 via a lopsided decision. It was alleged that Covington sustained injuries and suffered a broken tooth after Masvidal punched him twice in the face. Consequently, Masvidal was arrested and charged with criminal activity, particularly aggravated battery and assault. On November 06, 2023, Masvidal pleaded no contest in a plea deal; therefore, all charges against him were dropped.

In August 2017, Covington represented the American Top Team in Impact Wrestling or Global Force Wrestling tournaments.

Much later, in February 2018, Covington appeared at the WrestlePro event. Throughout his professional wrestling career, Covington had never defeated his opponent as ruthlessly as he did in this fight. His unidentified opponent depicted a parody of Tyron Woodley, adopting the ring name TyQuill Woodley.

Colby Covington has two elder sisters, Callie and Candace. One of Colby’s sisters, Candace, is a professional and talented dancer and performer. She always supports his brother, Colby, as evident from the ‘#TEAMCOVINGTON tag’ in her bio. Candace, compared to Callie, is more in the limelight, while Callie leads a more private life. Even her social media accounts are also private and not known in public.

Colby Covington is not married yet and is in a relationship with Polyana Viana, a Brazilian MMA athlete who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Colby was the blunt supporter of former President Donald Trump and the renowned political party, the Republican Party. Colby drew great inspiration from Donald Trump as after winning the interim UFC Welterweight Championship, he shared his desire to meet Donald Trump and dedicated his victory to him. After Colby’s success against Tyron Woodley, Covington felt extreme pleasure as Trump called Colby and congratulated him on his success.

In his entire career, Colby utilized a combination of grappling and wrestling strategies. Colby was renowned for his takedown attempts, submissions, and ground-and-pound. If Colby failed in his first takedown attempt, he never stopped trying and again tried multiple takedown attempts to defeat his opponents. Colby is renowned for his exceptional control over opponents due to his stamina and ability to build a great pace over time. In terms of standing strategies, Colby is famous for his southpaw stance. Moreover, he focuses on forward pressure, volume, and striking capabilities.

In the 2020 UFC Fight Night 178 Covington vs. Woodley event, Colby Covington was all set to face Tyron Woodley. In the first round, Colby attempted various takedown attempts. Colby also landed punches on Tyron’s face, and in the last round, he punched Tyron’s ribs, securing a victory with a rib injury to Tyron.

In the 2022 UFC 272 Covington vs. Masvidal event, Colby Covington competed against Jorge Masvidal. Both fighters played amazingly, executing multiple takedown attempts. Colby tried to take control over Jorge with punches and ultimately emerged victorious with a unanimous decision.

In the 2015 UFC 194 Aldo vs. McGregor event, Colby Covington competed against Warlley Alves. Initially, Colby had successful control over his opponent, Warlley Alves, but in the last round, he lost the match when Alves attempted the guillotine choke technique.

Top Finishes: Colby Covington

Photo credit: @colbycovmma