Colby Covington drops from rankings after recent UFC criticism and extended absence

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

There’s been a change to the UFC welterweight rankings that many felt was overdue.

It’s been 493 days since Colby Covington last fought, a split decision loss to Joaquin Buckley, and his slide down the rankings has finally started to reflect his long spell out of action.

The former interim champion hadn’t disappeared from the rankings entirely, even moving up a spot earlier this year in an update that left many confused. But now, he’s taken a significant drop.

This isn’t the first time Covington’s ranking has sparked debate. In February, he moved up from #7 to #6 despite not having fought since December 2023. That change came after Shavkat Rakhmonov was removed from the rankings due to inactivity following an ankle injury ahead of UFC 296.

UFC Rankings Update: Covington and Burns drop out of Welterweight Top 15

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Colby Covington has dropped out of the UFC’s welterweight top 15 in the latest rankings update, marking the end of his long presence in the division’s elite.

Gilbert Burns also exited after losing to Mike Malott, with Malott and Yaroslav Amosov stepping into the newly opened spots.

Covington hasn’t recorded a win since March 2022, but he had been a fixture in the rankings since breaking through in 2017 with a win over Demian Maia in Brazil.

This change comes after Covington voiced frustrations with the UFC, suggesting that they had plans for him to fight Malott next to further build up the Canadian’s profile.

The last time ‘Chaos’ fought twice within one calendar year was back in 2017. Since then, extended breaks between appearances have become more common for him.

Speaking to Bloody Elbow earlier this year, Covington acknowledged that his inactivity has strained his relationship with the promotion.