One month, you’re champ. And the next, you’re a contender.

So says UFC President Dana White, who announced Thursday night that former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington needs to fight his way back into contention.

“Colby now is going to have to fight again and earn the spot to get back,” White said during a Facebook Live chat with the Las Vegas Review-Journal following a UFC 235 press conference.

If it wasn’t clear already, White again confirmed Covington (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) does not hold the interim belt he won last June with a decision over ex-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos.

Covington was stripped of the title this past July when he turned down a title fight against champ Tyron Woodley (19-3-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) at UFC 228 due to a nasal surgery. The promotion moved on and nominated Darren Till for the title shot.

In an interview this past month with MMAjunkie, Covington attributed his title snub not to his medical issues, but a conspiracy involving the UFC and the manager of Kamaru Usman (14-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who leapfrogged him for the next title shot at UFC 235. Covington said the manager, Ali Abdelaziz, testified on behalf of the promotion in its ongoing anti-trust lawsuit and earned payback as a result.

Covington said he agreed to face Woodley this past November and then for the ill-fated UFC 233 card on Jan. 26 in Anaheim, Calif.. But the offers came to a swift halt after he declined a fight with Usman on six weeks’ notice at UFC on ESPN+ 1 card, which at the time was in dire need of a headliner talent.

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That apparently was the last straw for White, who on Thursday repeated an oft-used monologue about the perils of saying no to opportunity in a promotion that moves like the UFC.

Covington, No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings and No. 1 contender in the UFC’s rankings, has vowed he won’t accept another fight until he gets a title shot. And if that doesn’t come, he’ll request his release.

Time will tell which option becomes reality.

For more on UFC 235, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.