UFC legend thinks Colby Covington’s trash talk has carried him for years, but time may have run out following UFC Tampa

One former UFC bruiser believes Colby Covington’s gift of gab has carried him long enough.

Covington was back inside the Octagon for the final UFC event of 2024. He went one-on-one with surging welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley in the UFC Tampa headliner. It was a chance for Covington to establish that he’s still a major player at 170 pounds. Simply put, “Chaos” struggled with the standup of Buckley and a cut over his eyelid marked the end of the fight in round three.

Buckley scored the TKO victory via doctor’s stoppage over Covington, who hasn’t earned a win since March 2022.

RELATED: COLBY COVINGTON SHUTS DOWN RETIREMENT TALK AFTER UFC TAMPA LOSS: “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING FOR ME”

Matt Brown Says Colby Covington Hasn’t Been Elite in Years

A new edition of MMAFighting.com‘s “The Fighter vs. The Writer” just dropped. In this episode, Matt Brown told Damon Martin that Colby Covington’s ability inside the Octagon hasn’t matched his trash talk in a while.

“It’s hard to argue he’s really been elite for a while,” Brown said on the newest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “He hasn’t done anything elite for a long time. I’m not even sure if the door was already closed. I thought this was kind of his chance to show that he is still an elite welterweight, and he didn’t pass the test. I think that door might have already been closed is the only caveat to that. We’ll see.

“I guess the question is whether he retires. It’s not even whether he’s an elite welterweight anymore. I think that answer’s pretty clear. Is he going to stick around? Is he going to keep fighting? Because he’s kind of lived off of his shtick more so than his performances, right?”

Covington has made it clear that he doesn’t plan to walk away from pro MMA competition just yet. Covington has been known to take some time in between fights, but at this stage in his career, many expect the UFC matchmakers to throw him in the lion’s den with rising prospects. Time will tell what’s next for the former interim UFC welterweight champion.