Jordan Burroughs closes the door on potential MMA move ahead of RAF 12

Jordan Burroughs will never be seen in an MMA cage, at least not as a competitor. He recently revealed that his past interest in taking a swing at fighting has waned, and now, at 38 years old, in the twilight years of his combat sports career, it just isn't the right time to start dipping his toes in MMA.

The MMA dream is over for Jordan Burroughs

There was a time when Jordan Burroughs strongly considered a switch to MMA. He had maxed out his career in freestyle wrestling, winning an Olympic gold medal in 2012, along with six World Wrestling Championships. There was nothing left to prove, so MMA seemed like a logical next step. Wrestling was and remains one of the strongest bases in fighting, and Burroughs was as good as it got. However, he never made the move, citing health concerns. Now, he's fully closed the door on MMA, saying as much when asked at the RAF 12 pre-match press conference (0:39):

"No, that ship sailed for me. That ship sailed for me. I think... it's always been intriguing. I think my skills would translate really well to MMA, but it's new and it's filled with savages, and a lot of individuals who are extremely competitive. I think the sport's grown. When I first started watching MMA back when my career on Team USA started, it was a bunch of guys that were leaving other disciplines to just get started. Now, guys are growing up planning to become fighters, and so I think the skills are a lot more complex and diverse, and it's starting to spread worldwide. I've wrestled a lot of Russians, I wouldn't wanna fight them."

While Burroughs isn't as eager about MMA as he once was, he is currently set to wrestle a top UFC welterweight in Sean Brady at RAF 12. This marks the second time he's wrestled a high-profile MMA fighter, as he also wrestled Ben Askren at 2019 Beat The Streets: Grapple at the Garden some years ago, beating him 11-0 via technical fall. Askren, while also a fellow Olympic wrestler, is a highly accomplished MMA fighter, having reigned as the ONE Championship welterweight champion and Bellator welterweight champion. He also spent most of his career undefeated at 19-0 (1) before suffering two consecutive losses in his final MMA fights.

Burroughs will hope to add Brady to his list of conquests on the mat, while his opponent is determined to score an all-time great wrestling upset.