Background and career
Colby Ray Covington (born February 22, 1988) is an American freestyle wrestler and former professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in Real American Freestyle and is the inaugural RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Champion. He formerly competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion.
Covington was born in Clovis, California, on February 22, 1988. The family moved from California to Oregon when he was eight years old. His father was a wrestler during his time at the Oregon Institute of Technology and Southern Oregon University.
As a wrestler at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, Covington lettered all four years and won the 171 lb state championship as a senior in 2006. He committed to Arizona State University but his test scores were too low, so he went to Iowa Central Community College, where he won the 2007 165 lb national junior college wrestling title as a true freshman with a 34–0 record. His roommate at the time was future UFC champion Jon Jones. Following his championship season at Iowa Central, Covington transferred to the wrestling program at the University of Iowa. On August 10, 2007, he was arrested for eluding police and driving under the influence, having registered a BAC of 0.255, over three times the legal limit of 0.08. He later said, "That was a real all-time low in my life, something I really wish I could take back." Due to his arrest, Covington was suspended from the Hawkeyes for a year and saw limited time the next season. He looked for a fresh start, and former Hawkeyes coach Jim Zalesky convinced Covington to transfer to Oregon State University. During his time at OSU, Covington qualified for the NCAA tournament as a junior and as a senior, placing fifth as a senior and earning All-American honors. He also was a two-time Pac-10 Conference champion at 174-pounds. He was cited for fourth-degree assault stemming from an incident on May 23, 2010, in which he was accused of punching two men after a verbal altercation. The Benton County District Attorney's Office did not pursue charges against Covington over the incident. Covington graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2011. After graduation, he continued to compete in wrestling and grappling, winning a gold medal at the 2013 FILA Grappling no-gi world championships. He debuted for Real American Freestyle (RAF) at RAF 05 on January 10, 2026, defeating Luke Rockhold. The following month, he joined their sister company Real American Beer as a partner and investor. Covington defeated Dillon Danis in the co-main event of RAF 07 on March 28, 2026. He defeated Chris Weidman in the co-main event of RAF 09 on May 30, 2026. He defeated Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of RAF 11 for the inaugural RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Championship on July 18, 2026. This fight earned him a Match of the Night award. Covington defended his title against Belal Muhammad in the main event on September 19, 2026 at RAF 13. He won the match by technical fall in the second round.
Outside combat sports, Covington is an active live tournament poker player, with $448,061 in earnings from 86 recorded cashes on The Hendon Mob as of June 2026. He has said he began playing online poker while on the University of Iowa wrestling team during the 2008–09 season, and his first recorded live tournament cash came in South Florida in 2012. His most notable win came in August 2022, when he took the $1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open for $25,875, while his biggest single cash is $70,930 for 10th place in a $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em event at WSOP Paradise in December 2024. He has not won a World Series of Poker bracelet, and his best Main Event finish is 1,077th in 2024.
After completing his collegiate wrestling career in 2011, Covington was one of a number of athletes recruited by Dan Lambert to American Top Team to improve the gym's wrestling talent. Covington soon began his professional career and compiled a record of 5–0 before signing with the UFC in the summer of 2014.
Covington made his promotional debut against Anying Wang on August 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 48. He won the fight by TKO via punches in the closing seconds of the first round. Covington fought Wagner Silva on November 8, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 56. He won the fight via submission in the third round. Covington next faced Mike Pyle on May 23, 2015, at UFC 187, replacing an injured Sean Spencer. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Covington faced Warlley Alves on December 12, 2015, at UFC 194. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Covington was expected to compete against Alex Garcia on June 18, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 89. However, Garcia was pulled from the fight on June 10 for undisclosed reasons and replaced by promotional newcomer Jonathan Meunier. Covington won the fight via submission in the third round. Covington next faced promotional newcomer Max Griffin on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Covington's next bout was against Bryan Barberena on December 17, 2016, at UFC on Fox 22. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Covington faced Dong Hyun Kim on June 17, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 111. He won the fight via unanimous decision. As the final fight of his prevailing contract, Covington fought Demian Maia on October 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 119. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
