Covington Floats a Move to Middleweight
Colby Covington’s proposed jump from welterweight to middleweight began as a possibility he discussed in January 2025, not a booked move or a scheduled fight with Sean Strickland. In an interview with Submission Radio, Covington said he might consider competing at 185 pounds and called a Strickland matchup interesting. More than a year later, his career has taken a different turn: he is competing in Real American Freestyle wrestling, while the MMA matchup remains hypothetical. MMA Fighting’s January 2025 report documented his comments.
What Covington said about Strickland
Covington’s remarks came shortly after his December 14, 2024 loss to Joaquin Buckley at a Fight Night event in Tampa. The official result lists a doctor-stoppage TKO for Buckley at 4:42 of the third round. In the January interview, Covington said he was open to a move up but had not decided on his next weight class; he described Strickland as a possible entertaining opponent, while also saying he would wait to see which fights were available. Those comments support a report about interest, not a confirmed booking or a completed move.
The matchup never materialized
No Covington–Strickland bout in MMA was announced. Covington’s last MMA appearance remained the Buckley fight. In May 2026, he told MMA Fighting he had notified the promotion of his retirement from MMA to clear the way for wrestling matchups, though he said he did not consider himself fully retired and would still take an MMA fight. His focus, he said, had shifted to Real American Freestyle. His later wrestling matches are separate from an MMA move to middleweight.
Covington’s current competition
Covington won a September 18 wrestling match against Belal Muhammad by a 10–0 technical fall in 2026, according to the promotion’s event record. It lists Covington against Khamzat Chimaev in a cruiserweight crossover championship match at its Abu Dhabi event on November 14, 2026. That is a wrestling booking, separate from the middleweight MMA fight Covington floated in 2025. The Strickland idea remains an unmade matchup unless the fighters or promotion announce otherwise.
Sources
- MMA Fighting: Covington discusses a possible move to middleweight and Sean Strickland
- Official event result: Covington vs. Buckley in Tampa
- MMA Fighting: Covington explains his decision to focus on Real American Freestyle
- Real American Freestyle: Covington vs. Muhammad result
- Real American Freestyle: Chimaev vs. Covington in Abu Dhabi
Sources
Tags: MMA
