Colby Covington Back on the Wrestling Mats: from the Tsarukyan Clash to Gilbert Burns Talks

An insightful review of Colby Covington Back on the Wrestling Mats: from the Tsarukyan Clash to Gilbert Burns Talks—read on to discover what experts are saying.

Covington did not enter collegiate wrestling as an anointed prodigy. He forged his style through the demanding junior college circuit, capturing the 2007 NJCAA National Championship at 165 pounds while competing for Iowa Central Community College. That program, renowned for churning out durable champions, cemented Covington's ability to grind through scramble-heavy positions without fatiguing.

Transitioning to the Division I level at Oregon State University wrestling, Covington immediately challenged the national elite. Under head coach Jim Zalesky, he refined his folkstyle fundamentals, securing back-to-back Pac-10 conference titles in 2010 and 2011. His collegiate apex arrived at the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, where he earned NCAA Division I All-American status by finishing fifth at 174 pounds.

Folkstyle wrestling rewards riding time, top control, and continuous mat-returns. Unlike international freestyle, which resets action rapidly after brief exposures, American folkstyle demands hand-fighting dominance and wrist control. Covington excelled at breaking an opponent's posture, riding legs, and systematically accumulating riding time. Those long collegiate periods established the foundational stamina that later transformed him into a nightmare inside the Octagon.