Colby Covington
The national junior college wrestling champ and NCAA All-American defeated seventh-ranked Dong Hyun Kim in a three-round welterweight (170 pounds) main-card match, 30-25, 30-26, 30-27.
Fox Sports reported, "Making no mystery at his game plan, Covington rushed across the Octagon as soon as the fight started looking to get the fight to the ground while using his vast wrestling history against the top 10 ranked welterweight."
"The American Top Team representative was suffocating in his showdown with Dong Hyun Kim, landing eight takedowns and controlling virtually all the grappling exchanges with the South Korean judoka," according to Sherdog.com.
"Covington's relentless pressure continued throughout the fight while mauling Kim against the cage, using his superior grappling to keep the Korean welterweight from opening up much offense at all," continued Fox Sports.
Covington's confidence was on display afterward too.
"I'm the uncrowned king of this division," Covington shouted after the win. "Dana [White], I'm a 32 waist -- get that belt ready for me!"
The former Oregon State mat star also called out the current UFC welterweight champ and fellow former collegiate wrestler from the University of Missouri.
"I know Tyron Woodley got tired just watching this at home," Covington said. "The last time I trained with him, it wasn't even competitive. He gets tired just watching this. I'll break him in half."
Covington has now won four fights in a row to build a 12-1 professional MMA record.
Prior to launching his MMA career in Feb. 2012, Colby Covington made an impression in amateur wrestling, first as an Oregon high school state champion. He then headed east to Iowa Central Community College, where he won an NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) title. He returned to Oregon where he enrolled at Oregon State, becoming a two-time Pac-10 champ and All-American at the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
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