Jordan Oliver has revealed his next destination in wrestling. After coming back to freestyle wrestling following a short stint in MMA, Oliver entered the World Team Trials. Heavily hyped to win the tournament, things didn’t quite go in favor of Oliver. Facing off against James Green of Nebraska, he failed to secure a victory, succumbing to a 6-3 defeat. While this is surely a significant setback, the 34-year-old seems to be unfazed by the failure.

Taking to his X account recently, Oliver wrote, “Bill Farrell next… November it is.” As a matter of fact, Oliver is referring to the Bill Farrell Memorial International tournament. Cited as one of the most prestigious annual wrestling tournaments in New York, the event is hosted by the New York Athletic Club. The event is a tradition for over 60 years and is sanctioned under United World Wrestling. Thus, winning such a big event might well be a new stepping stone in Oliver’s career after consecutive heartbreaks in Paris and the World Team Trials. 

The Oklahoma wrestling icon had a fine career in his college days. Oliver won four back-to-back Big 12 gold medals from 2010 to 2013, asserting his dominance in the 133lbs and the 149lbs division. Featuring in the NCAA Division 1 championships, Oliver yet again, proved to be an asset for Oklahoma as he clinched 2 golds and a silver to emerge as one of the best NCAA wrestlers in modern times. 

However, in 2023, Jordan Oliver decided to explore some untread territories in his career. Announcing a career shift, Oliver signed with the MMA promotion, Bellator. While the octagon was a new challenge for the veteran wrestler, Oliver seemed to have bossed it like a king as he asserted his dominance in his debut fight. Featuring in the Bellator 298 event, Oliver went one-on-one against Andrew Triolo. Dominating for the majority of the match, Oliver submitted Triolo via an arm triangle choke. Continuing his merry run, Oliver also notched up his second successive victory against Braydon Akeo at PFL 8. However, despite his brilliant show, Jordan Oliver decided to come back to wrestling. 

Jordan Oliver’s Wrestling Career 2.0

After a fairly successful short stint in MMA, Oliver thought that it was time to switch back to his roots. Thus, back in August, Oliver announced his decision to come back to wrestling yet again. Citing the World Team Trials as his next step, Oliver mentioned that he would return to wrestle under the guidance of his former coach, who he liked to call ‘Puma’. Coaching Oliver before his move to the MMA, Kenny ‘Puma’ Monday is an accomplished coach at Morgan State University. 

Thus, coming back to wrestling, Oliver will be hoping to bring back the good old days in his career. His wrestling journey got disrupted following a couple of substance abuse bans. Back in 2018, the Oklahoma wrestler was banned for using amphetamine. While the ban lasted for a year, his second ban proved to be brutal for his career. 

During the World Team Trials in 2022, Oliver was found with THC in his system. Such a discovery led the wrestler to get banned for two years which shattered his Paris Olympic dreams as he could not participate in the trials. Now, having failed at the WTT, Oliver must look to win at the Bill Farrell in November. Aiming to blossom in the wrestling vertical once again, the road ahead remains a tough one for the veteran wrestler.