We are inching closer to UFC 296 when Colby Covington will take on Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title. They will be headlining the event, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, we will take a look at Covington’s fighting style as he prepares to go up against one of the best strikers in the UFC.

Colby Covington has been away from fighting for a while now. It’s been about a year and a half since he last fought inside the Octagon. However, he is returning on December 16th with a chance to win the welterweight title against a fighter, who’s been on a roll. As such, let us take a look at Covington’s fighting credentials.

Colby Covington has his roots in amateur wrestling

‘Chaos’ started his combat sports career at a very early age as a wrestler in high school. He attended Thurston High School and collected a lot of accolades during his time there. Covington won the 171-pound state championship during his senior year. Then the UFC welterweight star attended Central Iowa Community College, where heavyweight champion Jon Jones was his roommate.

It was during his time in Iowa Central that Colby Covington won the Junior College National Championship and also the Midwestern Conference Championship. Furthermore, ‘Chaos’ had a record of 34 wins, with no losses as a wrestler. He then moved to the University of Iowa, where he enrolled in a wrestling program. There, Covington won the 165-pound championship at the Flash Flanagan and Grand View Opens. He then made a final move to Oregon State University, qualifying for the NCAA tournament as both a junior as well as a senior.

Read More: ‘Way More Dangerous Than Kamaru’- Leon Edwards Backed to Take Down Colby Covington Easily at UFC 296

Colby Covington was also successful in earning the ‘All-American’ honor and even became a two-time Pac-1o Conference champion during his time at OSU. His wrestling skills have been praised by many people, including UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, who believes Covington has the credentials to beat Leon Edwards. Let’s see what he had to say.

Joe Rogan believes in Covington’s ability to defeat Leon Edwards

During the #2068 episode of the million-dollar JRE podcast, Joe Rogan opined on how the fight between Colby Covington and Leon Edwards would go. He believes that ‘Chaos’ has the legitimate skills to beat the reigning welterweight champion, even though the 56-year-old had all the respect for Leon Edwards as a fighter.

“If you wanted to pick someone who’d have a really good shot at Leon, it would be someone who’s an elite grappler, who has an incredible gas tank [and] who can push at ferocious pace. That’s Colby,” said Joe Rogan. He also mentioned the fact that Colby Covington was able to dominate everybody except former champion Kamaru Usman, mentioning that his grappling skills are the tools that can help him dethrone Leon Edwards.

It is a matter of time before we see how true Joe Rogan’s analysis is for the main event of the UFC 296 PPV. With less than two weeks away, the excitement among fans is increasing for the headliner. Will Colby Covington claim the welterweight title or will Leon Edwards sign off the 2023 as champion? We will find that out on December 16th.

Watch This Story: UFC Legend Throws Up After Intense Training With Former Navy SEAL