Jordan Burroughs hasn’t competed since the 2024 World Championships. For a man who spent the better part of 15 years as the face of American wrestling, that silence has been anything but peaceful. Now 37, the Olympic gold medalist, six-time world champion, and one of the greatest American wrestlers is ending the hiatus.
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Real American Freestyle (RAF) announced the 37-year-old’s return to combat sports a month ago, though they did not list an opponent. That has now changed, as the RAF declared that Burroughs will face UFC welterweight Sean Brady. The 33-year-old and the former Olympian will lock horns at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland during the main event of RAF12.
He’ll be the second elite American wrestler to take to the RAF mat after Gable Steveson. However, Jordan Burroughs’ quality is undeniable, even if his last bout ended in a loss. The 37-year-old last fought in 2024 at the World Championships, in an attempt for his seventh gold medal.
Despite wins over Magomet Evloev and Zelimkhan Khadjiev in the early rounds, he fell to Mohammad Nokhodi. Since then, Burroughs’ focus has turned more towards coaching and setting up his own gym, training his children as well. However, the 37-year-old was unhappy with the way his last bout went and was keen to change things around.
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“I don’t think people can really understand the magnitude of what it’s like to leave something that’s meant so much to you for so long,” Burroughs told Flo Wrestling. “It really is soul-shattering stuff if you’re not rooted in faith and family.
“And it’s why my approach is so much different now, and my perspective has shifted significantly because you spend a lifetime chasing something, and it has to end eventually.
“And there’s an attachment to it, and this is why I’m not retired. This is why I’m coming back, and I’m sure you guys recently saw the news about RAF. I haven’t really got a chance to say goodbye.”
However, Sean Brady is going to be a tough, tough opponent. The 33-year-old will also be making his RAF debut and is on a decent run of form. He’s won four out of his last five bouts, dominating Joaquin Buckley during UFC 328. He ended up winning that fight by decision and, more importantly, has only lost twice in his career. Brady is also ranked fifth in UFC’s welterweight category.
For Burroughs, though, this comeback was never just about finding another opponent. After months away from competition, he admitted there was a far more personal reason behind stepping back onto the mat.
Jordan Burroughs reflects on why he’s coming back
Six World Championships gold medals, a 2012 Olympic gold medal, a catalogue of golds at the Pan American Games; there’s no questioning Jordan Burroughs’ place in the record books and perhaps even as one of the greatest American wrestlers ever. However, people questioned his ability, even though the now-37-year-old has lost just twice since June 2023.
They were to Nokhodi in October 2024 and Jason Nolf in April 2024, sandwiching a seven-win streak. Now with him set to face Sean Brady, the former Olympic star has finally opened up on why he’s making a comeback, listing four reasons.
“Yeah, a combo of everything, right?” Burroughs told Flo Wrestling. “I want to show my athletes that are unfamiliar with who I was at one point what it looks like to train and compete, to be deliberate, to be focused and disciplined. Two, I wanna scratch that itch. Three, I wanna get an opportunity to say goodbye on my own terms. Fourth, and I would say final, is I wanna continue to elevate the sport of wrestling.”
That is something he has probably already done, and nobody has seen wrestling change more than Jordan Burroughs. He even explained that when he started, wrestling was barely even a professional sport. In fact, he was even wrestling for “1000 bucks” despite being “a world and Olympic Champion”.
The situation has changed tenfold now with MMA and even wrestling among the biggest sports on the planet. It’s one of the major reasons Burroughs returned, with him keen on coming full circle and being part of the change.
“Just remember the magnitude of me wrestling Ben Askren at the Hulu Theater in 2019 and how big that was for MMA, for wrestling, for Flo,” he added. “And now that’s happening every month with RAF. So I think it’s something special that they’ve created. I’m just blessed to be able to participate in it, partake in it, and be a part of it.”
Two years after his last competitive match, Burroughs finally has his return. Now comes the challenge of proving he still belongs amongst the elite.
