Top flight athletes are always looking at what to do after their current career comes to a conclusion. But for gold medal Olympic wrestler Jordan Burroughs, will he give the fans what they want and make the jump to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)? Bonusbets.com reports on the subject.
Jordan Burroughs himself isn’t saying much yet about any potential move, though he knows the lure of the octagon having witnessed many other wrestlers make the same jump.
“I’ve arrived at a place too where I’m seeing all of these guys that I once trained alongside become champions—and this is not a shot at any of those dudes—but if these guys can become champion, then I know I can become a champion because I possess all the same qualities that these guys possess.
It’s exciting, it’s exciting. It’s something that I’d definitely consider. If I do consider fighting, it won’t be until after the Olympic games in 2020, and then from there I’ll reevaluate, see if it’s something that would be a realistic option for me.”
Speaking on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting) Burroughs was asked about a potential future in MMA and had this to say:
“It’s exciting. I can’t deny it; I can’t deny it at all, there was a period of time early in my career where I was like, I’m gonna definitely fight. I definitely want to be a part of this lifestyle, then there was a period of time where I had so much success in the sport of wrestling, and I was like, I don’t really need fighting. I’m good; I’m doing well financially, I’ve got a solid following. I’ve got a family; I’m healthy; I’m good.”
One thing is certain, though, the likelihood of injury from MMA is much higher than for his current sport of wrestling, and he will surely have this in mind before making any firm decisions.
“At this point, the great thing about what I do now is that when I leave the arena after a competition, I’m healthy. I go back to my house, or I go to a restaurant with my buddies, I don’t have to go to the hospital. It’s just a significantly different lifestyle than we have, no one steps into this Octagon expecting to get beat up and take a lot of punishment, so it’s something that I have to evaluate with my wife and my coaching staff here. But for the right price, I’d be willing to consider it for sure.”
One thing that Burroughs definitely needs to finish before considering what happens in the future is the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Burroughs hopes to secure Gold again at the Wrestling, and if he succeeds, this would see any potential pay from an MMA move increase significantly due to his former success. At 32, Burroughs isn’t one of the youngest men to the game of MMA; however, he could emulate Daniel Cormier who started at 30 and went on to become one of the best MMA fighters ever.