Former three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight title challenger Colby Covington returns to action this weekend (Sat., March 28, 2026), stepping onto the Real American Freestyle (RAF) mat to face Dillon Danis in the co-main event of RAF 07 inside the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida.
That chapter might be closing.
“You know, I love Trump, he’s a great guy, but I’m not really political,” Covington told Bloody Elbow ahead of his RAF 07 matchup. “In the future, you won’t see me campaigning or actively involved in politics. I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. It’s a dirty game, and loyalty is never rewarded.”
Covington added that his ambitions have shifted dramatically.
“My dream before was to be the governor of Florida, a senator, a congressman,” he said. “Nah — now I just want to do business with Real American Beer, RAF, and mind my own business in peace.”
The timing is… interesting.
And in classic Covington fashion, he explained why.
“When I first got the news that I wasn’t going to be a part of it, I was frustrated,” Covington said. “I said some things in the media that I probably shouldn’t have said, and I shared maybe a few too many details because I got fired up. But now that I’ve sat back and kind of analyzed everything, I realize that it’s not a big deal that I’m not fighting at the White House.”
“You want to know why? I’ve delivered a world championship belt to a sitting president at the Oval Office,” Covington added. “I’ve been invited to election night multiple times. I’ve been invited for election night multiple times, I’ve been to the White House, I’ve seen the West Wing, and I’ve seen everything there. So what do I need to go fight there for? There’s no point, I’ve been there and done that.”
That’s the real question.
Will Covington reinvent himself with a new gimmick — or revert back to his pre-2016 persona?
For now, fans will have to settle for his ongoing war of words with Danis ahead of fight night.