Olympic gold medalist and American wrestling GOAT Jordan Burroughs was on the mighty Joe Rogan Experience podcast last week, and if you haven’t listened to it yet, are you even a fight fan? The two go on for three whole hours about everything from raising a family, what to do after an athletic career is over, and even bantered about a possible MMA debut, the latter of which we’ve touched on here.
However, while Burroughs flirts with strapping on four-ounce gloves like his wrestling cohorts such as Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, Ben Askren and Henry Cejudo, he seemed more open to the idea of just grappling with two UFC legends in particular. Those fighters were Canada’s Georges St-Pierre, and The Notorious Conor McGregor.
I just want to roll with a couple of guys, said Burroughs, just after the 52-minute mark during his Joe Rogan Experience interview. I want to roll with Conor (McGregor), that’s probably my dream guy just to get my hands on and feel a little bit. I think that would be fun. GSP would be fun.
Joe Rogan: ‘Striking is a different animal’
How elite is Jordan Burroughs? Fans may recall the May 2019 super match with Burroughs against 2008 Olympian and Dan Hodge Trophy winner Ben Askren. It was where the world saw Burroughs tech Ben Askren 11-0 in just over a single round.
This event took place just weeks before the former Bellator champion got famously knocked out by Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. Masvidal’s perfectly-timed flying knee to Askren’s face happened in just five seconds and currently stands as the fastest knockout in UFC history.
When asked if he’s been training any striking, Burroughs replied never, saying he’s never even been in a fight.
But I’m just confident, absurdly confident, said Burroughs.
Striking is a different animal, Rogan retorted.
Later in the episode, Jordan Burroughs admitted that some of the gruesome injuries we see in MMA have played a role in his decision to stay out of the fight game. That said, he once said he’d like to fight at least one time.
Additionally, during the podcast, Burroughs elaborated on plans to open what he describes as a high performance athletic training center, that will be multifaceted from everything from nutrition to spirituality.
Come to think of it, if Jordan Burroughs truly wants to wrestle the world’s best MMA fighter, he may need an audience with the man from Dagestan.
