Jordan Burroughs at Beat the Streets in New York City (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The day after 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs scored an 11-0 technical fall over UFC star and 2008 Olympic wrestler Ben Askren at the Beat the Streets fundraiser at New York's Madison Square Garden Monday night, UFC President Dana White said he would be "very interested" in possibly helping Burroughs fulfill a wish to have one fight in the Octagon.
"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 on "The Jim Rome Show" on Tuesday. "Yeah, obviously I'd be very interested."
Back in April, Burroughs disclosed his "one fight" wish in an interview with ESPN.
"I would love to. I just want to fight one time, that's it. I want one fight," said Burroughs three weeks ago. "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 think that wrestlers, and fighters have that same fighting spirit. There's just a spirit about you. It's such a beautiful art form in which you can implement strategy in order to subdue another individual. I kinda feel like that's where wrestling and UFC -- we collaborate in that way."
"So I thought about it. I considered it. I don't know if I'm really going to do it. But I've considered doing one fight and then getting out with my hands clean," Burroughs continued.
Burroughs also said that he has spoken to Daniel Cormier -- a member of the 2008 Olympic U.S. men's freestyle team who is now UFC heavyweight champ -- at length about entering the Octagon at least once.
"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 said. "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.
"What about just one? What could I do? If I let my hands fly, could I put someone out? So we'll see," he said. "I think my mental toughness, athleticism, and my physical prowess, I'd be successful if I decided to fight, no matter what."
A considerable number of amateur wrestlers have found success in mixed martial arts. Recently, Northwestern University All-American wrestler Sebastian Rivera conducted an analysis of various fighting styles conducted an analysis of various fighting styles used by UFC and MMA champs… and discovered that the largest number of UFC titleholders brought a wrestling background into the Octagon.
Jordan Ernest Burroughs, 30, is one of the great wrestlers of the era. Born in July 1988 in New Jersey, Burroughs concluded his high school mat career in 2006 as a state champ ... and as a Senior Nationals titlewinner. He accepted a scholarship to wrestle at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned three Big 12 conference crowns, NCAA All-American honors three times, and two NCAA championships. As a senior, Burroughs was awarded the Hodge Trophy as the best college wrestler of 2011.
Burroughs has made his presence known in international wrestling. He won the gold medal in men's freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics at 74 kilograms/163 pounds, along with four World championships. The man who is known by his social media moniker "AllISeeIsGold" has also earned six World Cup titles, as well as gold medals at two Pan American Games.
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