On Monday, Jordan Burroughs rolled to an easy victory over a top UFC welterweight in an exhibition wrestling match. Naturally, there’s interest to see if he could do the same in the Octagon.
After Burroughs earned an 11-0 technical fall victory over Ben Askren at Beat the Streets “Grapple at the Garden,” UFC President Dana White addressed the possibility of the Olympic gold medalist testing his skills in the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“Yeah, listen, I’m always interested in, you know, these guys that are considered the best athletes in the world in whatever it is they do wanting to come to the UFC,” White said during an appearance on “The Jim Rome Show” on Tuesday. “Yeah, obviously I’d be very interested.”
Burroughs is one of the most decorated wrestlers in U.S. amateur history. He was a two-time NCAA national champion at the University of Nebraska, captured multiple world championships in freestyle wrestling and twice qualified for the Olympics, winning gold in 2012.
Burroughs himself addressed the possibility of competing in MMA during an interview on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” last month. At most, Burroughs envisions stepping into the cage as a one-and-done endeavor.
“I would love to. I just want to fight one time, that’s it. I want one fight,” Burroughs said. “For me, it’s not about the status, it’s not about the glory, it’s not about the money. I just want to throw my hands and see what I’m made of.
“..I can’t make any promises. I’m saying I’ve considered it. It depends on what the offer is like and who my opponent was… but I don’t know. It’s definitely intriguing,” he added. “I’m so comfortable in my identity as a wrestler, that if I never fought, it would never bother me one bit. But I’m also such a competitor that I’ve considered it for a long period of time.”