Andrew Ravens
Colby Covington has elaborated further on his relationship with the UFC, placing the blame directly on broken promises from the promotion’s leadership.
Speaking via Helen Yee, Covington named Hunter Campbell specifically and described a period of being strung along before ultimately feeling abandoned by the organization entirely.
“I think just the last couple of months, things kind of went sour,” Covington said. “They were making some promises, but they weren’t fulfilling them. Hunter was stringing me along. I just don’t like how I’ve kind of been ghosted.
“It’s okay if that’s the way you’re going with your business, but I’m going to go with my business. I don’t want the UFC to tell me what I can and can’t do. Treat me like an independent contractor and don’t treat me like an employee.”
The frustration extends beyond feeling overlooked. Covington has stated publicly, including in a Facebook post, that he has not been offered a fight in 14 months, which he argues violates the standard contractual obligation of three fights per year. Having lost three of his last four bouts — including a 2024 defeat to Joaquin Buckley — Covington’s standing in the welterweight division has slipped, but he maintains that the UFC’s failure to book him is the primary driver of his inactivity rather than a lack of available opponents.
Covington has also taken aim at the promotion’s broader direction, describing recent UFC cards as “piss-poor” and criticizing management for being disorganized and for prioritizing financial considerations over quality matchmaking. The criticism echoes comments he made previously on the N3on stream, where he described a UFC power structure that leaves fighters with few options when the promotion decides to freeze them out.
