“He Cannot Push Me” – Islam Makhachev Exposed 6-Time Wrestling Champ Jordan Burroughs in Front of Daniel Cormier Last Year

How would the 6-time world champion and Olympic Gold medalist Jordan Burroughs fare against Islam Makhachev? The UFC lightweight champion seems to know what Burroughs’ weaknesses are. The Dagestan native once revealed the holes in his game during an interview with Daniel Cormier in 2023.

Islam Makhachev was losing interest in sparring and training with the wrestlers in the American Kickboxing Academy. So when he met up with former AKA teammate Daniel Cormier in 2022 for an interview, he urged ‘DC’ to help bring in an Olympic-level wrestler to the gym. That’s when Jordan Burroughs’ name popped up and Makhachev shared his thoughts on a potential fight with the former world champion, leaving Cormier in disbelief.

Does Islam Makhachev have Jordan Burroughs figured out?

Being a Sambo expert, the UFC lightweight champion claimed he could hold his own against the 2-time Olympian. He said, “Jordan Burroughs is going to be a good match.” Regardless, Daniel Cormier did not believe that Makhachev would be able to get past Burroughs.

“He’s a six-time world champion. The greatest wrestler of all time,” ‘DC’ said. However, Islam Makhachev remained confident in his tone. Makhachev gave due respect to Burroughs but also claimed that the American wrestling star only used one move, the double-leg takedown.

“I respect him brother but this guy has just double-leg. I am going to defend his double leg,” Makhachev stated. “And how he take point? He goes double leg, everybody defends, he pushed everybody. In AKA, we have wall. He cannot push me,” Islam Makhachev added.

The wrestling tactics might not save the Olympian against an MMA expert like Makhachev, that too in a cage. And who would know better than Cormier, an Olympian and UFC champion himself?

Unlucky for us fans, we never got to see them spar with each other. Meanwhile, Jordan Burroughs recently missed a huge opportunity to go to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.

Burroughs to miss the 2024 Olympics

The US Olympic team was recently announced, but Jordon Burroughs was nowhere to be found. The former gold medalist competed in an Olympic Trial on 19 April but lost a close match. Jason Nolf of Penn State defeated the 35-year-old veteran in the freestyle 74kg Challenge Tournament Final.

Jason Nolf used an offensive tactic from the start of the contest against Jordan Burroughs by relentlessly pushing the pace throughout the entirety of the match. The 6-time champion had won his first two matches but failed to beat Nolf. He will now go on to face Kyle Dake, who has also beaten Burroughs in the past, in the final match of the trials. It remains to be seen if he will win and go on to represent the United States in France.

What does the exclusion from the 2024 Olympics mean for Jordan Burroughs? He’s already 35 years old and may not have much time to be able to keep performing at the highest level.