Wrestling-Back on the mat in new professional promotion, Burroughs dreams of Olympic return

Jordan Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion, is stepping back onto the wrestling mat, not for retirement, but for a new professional promotion. After initially retiring following the 2024 world championships, Burroughs felt the pull to compete again and has joined Real American Freestyle (RAF), a promotion launched last year to offer wrestlers financial opportunities.

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There's an element of national pride that comes alongside with competing at home. So yes, there is a part of me that would like to potentially try again. But I'd also be 40-years-old in 2028. I'm up against some Herculean odds. But if there's anyone that can do it, I believe I'm capable of doing something that crazy.

Burroughs, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, sees this return as a potential pathway to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He acknowledges the significant challenge, noting, "I'd also be 40-years-old in 2028. I'm up against some Herculean odds. But if there's anyone that can do it, I believe I'm capable of doing something that crazy."

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I feel like the best way to create a vision for someone is to show them.

Beyond his personal aspirations, Burroughs aims to serve as an inspiration for the young wrestlers he coaches in New Jersey. He has been training rigorously for the past two months in preparation for two matches in successive RAF events. His first match is against Sean Brady on Saturday, followed by a bout against former world champion Magomed Kurbanaliev in Moscow on September 5.

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Wrestling is a very international sport. We plan on continuing to grow the sport and in order to grow it, that's where you've got to be ... we have to be able to bring in athletes from all over.

RAF co-founder and CEO Chad Bronstein highlighted the promotion's international ambitions, with plans for events in India, the Middle East, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Japan. Bronstein emphasized that RAF aims to "grow the sport" by being accessible globally. The promotion also offers youth tournaments, "RAF Next Gen," and seeks to provide a lucrative platform for wrestlers, moving away from the traditional "amateur wrestling" label that Burroughs feels has long been a misnomer. "And now we have an opportunity to call ourselves true professionals," Burroughs stated.

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They're pushing the culture forward. For years, we've been considered 'amateur wrestling'... even at the Olympics and the world championships we've been considered amateur wrestlers and it's just never really sat right with me. And now we have an opportunity to call ourselves true professionals.