“The difference between the greats and the legends is their ability to focus for longer periods of time.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’m getting older. That’s realistic. I can’t reverse time. I can slow it down a little bit.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I listen to a lot of TED talks and motivational speakers.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Once you’ve reached the highest level, you always want to get back there. It’s like, once you drive a Ferrari, you’re not satisfied driving a Honda anymore.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s never too late to be great.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“As wrestlers, we’re not trying to hurt or damage physically our opponent. All we’re trying to do is score points and get our hands raised, so I think that’s where we differ from the UFC, but I think that also the way in which we could address each other could be cool from a competitive spirit.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Discipline, focus, endurance is what it takes to be the greatest at this sport.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Every single time I get on the mat, every tournament, I get to see what I’m made of, how tough I am, where my desire is, and how hard I’ve worked.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Wrestling is different than MMA or boxing or really any other contact sport in that you can’t really draw along an opponent.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’ve got the ability to control my destiny, and I take pride in that.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I missed a lot of important milestones in my children’s lives to pursue this sport.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’ve become close with Masoud Esmaeilpour and consider him a friend. We send each other messages from time to time on Instagram, checking in to see how the other is doing. Whenever I see him, he’s always a gentleman, giving me tips about my next opponent. There is a tremendous amount of respect in our friendship.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“A lot of guys get out of wrestling immediately after winning a gold medal. Every time another Olympics comes around, it’s always a bunch of fresh faces. For me, to win an Olympic gold and have a chance to win another would be huge for our sport.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“If you look at my iPod, I’ve got so much different music. I think that it kind of describes me as a person, just being a chameleon to whatever particular environment that I’m in.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“There’s just a spirit about you that it’s such a beautiful art form in which you can implement strategy in order to subdue another individual. And I really feel like that’s in wrestling and UFC; we’re kind of – we collaborate in that way.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I think Americans, as a nation and culture, once something is recognized for a week or two, people kind of forget about.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I have a lot of confidence because of my success.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I love the sport of wrestling because it’s a testament of your will and what you’re capable of as a man.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I approach every match with that mindset, that this guy is trying to beat you, and it will change his life if he does.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I have never been affected by terror, but here in Iran, I have never felt any ill will toward me – the opposite, actually.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Within a match, there’s so many things that happen that could ultimately determine the outcome: You reach too much with your right hand, you step forward with your left leg, you get your head out of position.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“For Americans, of course, it’s football, basketball, and baseball. We live for it. In many ways, it sums up who we are. In Iran, it’s all about wrestling. The patriotism toward their country comes out in the way they wrestle, so it makes sense why they’re the best.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I love kids – they’re so carefree and always put a smile on my face.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“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.’”
― Jordan Burroughs
“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.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s always been a battle for me between personal goals and wanting to be able to share the success I’ve had with my family. And I guess as I’ve gotten older, I’ve kind of realized, you know, you can do all these cool things, but if you don’t have people in your life to share it with, what’s the point?”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I think that Ben Askren, when he competed as a wrestler, he was an amazing athlete.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“You watch Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather fight, Floyd can just throw a few punches, or he can do a lot of defense; he can slip a few punches, let Conor get a few shots in. You can’t really do that in wrestling without getting scored on or putting yourself at risk.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I definitely want to fight after I’m done wrestling.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“John Smith from Oklahoma State was the greatest American wrestler of all time.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’ve always thought about it. I’ve considered it when I was young. I was like, ‘Listen, I’m going to fight. I want to be a star. I’m going to fight.’”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I just want one fight. Because, like, for me, it’s not about the status, not about the glory. It’s not about the money. Like, I just want to throw my hands and see what I’m made of. And I think that wrestlers and fighters have that same fighting spirit.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I don’t know if I’m really going to do it. But I’ve considered doing one fight and then getting out with my hands clean.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’m so comfortable in my identity as a wrestler that if I never fought, it would never bother me one bit.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I think my mental toughness, athleticism, and my physical prowess, I’d be successful if I decided to fight, no matter what.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s one of those things: we’ve got guys that are very offensive and can take down anyone, and we’ve got guys that don’t shoot at all but are very hard to take down. It’s one of those things. You’ve got to decide what you’re good at.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’m not going to sit on my laurels.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Anything less than gold is a failure to me. It’s extreme pressure, but I hold myself to a high standard.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“There’s no excuse for losing for me.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Every year I win, everything I do, it cements my legacy.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s been a lot of responsibility to be an ambassador for U.S. wrestling and the sport. It’s a tough journey. There’s a lot of obligations but also a lot of opportunity.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I think I’m a crossover athlete to get the sport into the mainstream media.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“If you come from Jersey, you’re tough. You’ve been through the grind.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I want to make sure that everyone benefits from my success, not just me.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s become a lot bigger than just winning championships. It’s about inspiring hopefully millions at some point in my career.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“There weren’t a lot of people who believed in my abilities. But the more I grew and developed as a man, the more I believed in myself, and the harder I worked, the better I got and the more I progressed.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“That’s my job: work hard, win, and inspire.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’ve had matches that were close.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“We have a lot of wrestling fans out there just looking for a star to cheer for.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I want to be the guy who our sport looks up to, and win multiple championships.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I didn’t see my son walk for the first time. I’ve left my wife at home with two kids for long periods of time to go to training camps, to foreign countries.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I wanted to be amongst the greats. I wanted to be a Simone Biles, a Michael Phelps, an Ashton Eaton. I wanted to be those guys.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I have high expectations for myself – as an athlete, as a man, as an individual – and wrestling has helped me build a lot of character knowing that I have to remain humble but also fight complacency.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s a difficult place being on top because, for me, beating the Average Joe has no significance, but for the Average Joe, beating me could be the biggest match of his life, potentially.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“All I had was wrestling. If I’m not good at the only thing I have in life, I’ve got to get better at it.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’d definitely like to give back. I know a lot of kids watch college wrestling, and a lot of kids watch me, want to meet me and introduce themselves.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“There was a time period where I was obsessed with the rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics in the 1980s.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’ve seen ‘Cars’ and ‘Cars 2’ about 1,500 times a piece.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I like movies with superheroes – one of my favorite movies of all time was ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.’”
― Jordan Burroughs
“My one and only focus at the Olympic Games is to win a gold medal.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“So many kids dream about playing in the NFL. But I was 130 pounds in ninth grade. I looked around and didn’t see any 130-pound wide receivers in the pros.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Nebraska and Indiana were really the only Division One schools that expressed any interest in me.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Dorm-room life was a tough transition. You’re young, and you realize how much you miss the comfort of home.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’ve won every single event there is to win as a wrestler, and I still continue to come back every single year. The hard part for me is, ‘OK, how long can you do this?’”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I remember my first World Championships. I got zero turns, and I got turned multiple times, and I was still a World Champion.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“The worst thing for me would be going back to where I was – relative obscurity.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s one thing to never accomplish anything. You start from the bottom, you remain at the bottom, and all you know is the bottom. When you start at the bottom and you get to the top, and you feel the success and the notoriety and the recognition from being the champion, and you go back to losing, that’s a tough place to be in.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Everybody makes money; not everybody makes history.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“You know what’s cooler than being the richest guy in the room? Being the toughest guy in the room.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I love legends. I love reading up on the greats in their time period. I think, ‘Man, what it would be like to live when they were competing and see them at their best!’”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’m not afraid to tell people what I hope to accomplish and what I believe I’m capable of. I’m ready to take the backlash if I don’t accomplish my dreams.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s harder to be a dad than an Olympic champion.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Within the realm of wrestling, it’s been the same every year – just continually trying to improve and evolve as a wrestler, putting myself in a position to not maintain but maximize my potential.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Family is most important to me.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I am who I am and who I try to be – someone who loves wrestling and loves people.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I enjoy wrestling. I enjoy the sport. I get to go against the world’s best athletes.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“If I wrestle in 2020, I want it to be my own decision and not the IOC’s.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“It’s easy to be selfish and focus on what you have to do and what you need to do to accomplish your goals and be like, ‘I’ll give back later,’ but there’s no better time than now.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I wouldn’t go to pro wrestling. It’s not really my thing. I’m a fan, but I think every sport could take some notes from the WWE – how they’ve progressed and stayed relevant for such a long period of time.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“When I was growing up, I was a big Ultimate Warrior fan; I liked Macho Man Randy Savage and a lot of other bad dudes.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“There’s always an opportunity to be your best until I hang up my shoes.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“People need to feel like their heroes are human, not on the mat but in the world. The more people can see that, the more they can understand that they’re capable of doing great things as well.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“There’s a pride in representing your country on a stage like the sport of wrestling, which I’ve done since I was five years old. There’s nothing that can deter me other than my own decision to leave the sport.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’ve got a home. I’ve got a wife. I’ve got everything I need.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I think a lot of guys get out of wrestling for financial incentive to go to the UFC, but I’m doing well.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’m not a big guy that watches technique from my opponents. I try to do what I do best and hope that my stuff is better than their best stuff.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I think the ultimate sign of an icon or legend in any sport is the ability to elevate their teammates.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Believe it or not, my goal was always to play in the NFL.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I think every young man’s goal is to be a professional athlete, whether it’s the NBA, MLB, or the NFL.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I was an All-American at three different weight classes in college. Started off at 149, then 157, and then finished up my senior year at 165.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I don’t describe myself as a nationalist, but I do love my country.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Donald Trump and I have very different views on Iranians. I am confident that if he ever visited the country, he’d learn a lot about the people and come back to the States with a newfound appreciation for the Persians.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I’ve dreamed on numerous occasions that I’ve lost the biggest event in my life, and there was absolutely nothing that I could do about it.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“The way the podium is situated in wrestling, the first place spot is the center. So if I’m in a bathroom, I’ll look for the first place urinal.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I think every athlete is afraid for their career to be over.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I have wrestled in almost every tournament in the world. I’ve won the Olympics, NCAAs, and World Championships, but none of those can truly compare to the feeling I felt when I won my first and only state championship my senior year of high school.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“High school wrestling is awesome.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“Every person I wrestle, it’s the biggest match of their career. They’re Buster Douglas. But what’s the honor in being Mike Tyson and beating Buster Douglas? I win and move on. They win, and it’s a game-changer for the rest of their lives.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“I take a lot of pride in beating guys like Kyle Dake or David Taylor or these guys who have been basically bred to do this from Day 1. The best camps, the best high schools, the best universities. I never had that. It’s not necessary, but I never had any of the frills a lot of those guys had.”
― Jordan Burroughs
“A lot of kids can’t identify with the things I’ve done and where I’m from and who I am as an individual. That’s why I’ve tried to be a person and live my life in a way that can be identified by all cultures.”
― Jordan Burroughs
Leave a Reply