What’s Colby Covington to do?

Colby Covington is in sort of a no-man’s land in the welterweight division.

Consistently in second place, “Chaos” is 0-3 in title fights, losing twice to Kamaru Usman and, most recently, Leon Edwards. But now, Covington is not even being considered for a title shot with Belal Muhammad, the latest champion.

This weekend, Covington headlines UFC Tampa against ninth ranked Joaquin Buckley on short notice. In a break from the big fights Covington has become used to, it’s this weekend that the career path for Covington is not clear.

Will Colby Covington get a title shot with a win?

It is highly unlikely that Colby Covington will get a title shot with a win over Joaquin Buckley. That’s a big if. This past weekend, Shavkat Rakhmonov defeated Ian Garry and is widely seen as the next in line for the title.

Rakhmonov was also originally scheduled to face Muhammad in the main event of UFC 310. Injuries changed that.

So where would Covington’s path to the title lie? The answer lies in the rankings. Ahead of Covington are the following:

Leon Edwards
Kamaru Usman
Shavkat Rakhmonov
Sean Brady
Jack Della Maddalena

It’s safe to assume that every one of these fighters will have a title shot before Covington. Colby Covington will have to fend off a litany of contenders like Buckley this weekend, Carlos Prates, and others.

A chaotic career

Colby Covington has had a chaotic rise to the top. Pun intended. After his win over Demian Maia, Covington prodded the Brazilian crowd and called the country a bunch of filthy animals. He was met with hostility.

The character of Colby Covington was born. He went on to beat Rafael dos Anjos and Robbie Lawler to win the interim welterweight title. This is where Covington’s time at the top of 170 began.

He fought Kamaru Usman for the first time at UFC 245 in 2019. He lost in the fifth round. Tyron Woodley was the bounce back. That fight was as one sided as it gets. It was then time for another title shot, Kamaru Usman again. That fight, while closer, went Usman’s way.

Then the grudge match: Jorge Masvidal. Once teammates, Covington and Masvidal found themselves on opposite sides of a fight filled with hatred. Covington won that fight convincingly.

Leon Edwards then became champion and Covington was gifted a title shot to which he did largely nothing and saw Edwards for a defense.

The thing to notice is the times between these fights. After his first Usman loss, he was out nine months before the Woodley fight. He then waited nearly 14 months for Usman again. Six months for Masvidal and then an astounding 21 months for the Edwards fight. Now, Covington has been out a year before getting back to action.

Now 36 years of age, Covington was 31 when he fought first for the title. Fighting once a year pays the bills for Covington, sure. But it doesn’t make him a champion.