Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs paid his respect to Ben Askren following their wrestling match at Beat The Streets.
Burroughs and Askren went one-on-one in a match as part of a charity event. The showdown took place inside Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City. In the end, Burroughs dominated the match 11-0 and earned a technical fall victory.
Burroughs Holds Askren In High Regard
Following the match, Burroughs took to his Twitter account and was all class in victory:
“I was a 19-year-old college sophomore when I met Ben Askren for the first time.
Fresh off a historic collegiate career, Ben was widely recognized as the best wrestler of his era regardless of weight —he was an icon in a sport lacking big personality. Less than a year after graduating, he made the 2008 Olympic team at 163 pounds, my current weight class. Meanwhile I was a 150-pound kid on the USA junior team, sitting on the edge of the mat during Olympic Team practice, hoping to not only pick up some technique, but maybe get to rub shoulders with some Olympians. As I sat in that sweaty wrestling room on those humid summer afternoons watching them prepare for the Games, my Olympic aspirations were born. Little did anyone know that I was going to be the man that would succeed Ben Askren.
“Regardless of the result, I knew this year’s Beat the Streets event was going to be epic. To Ben — What you and I were able to do Monday night was incredible. Thank you for your willingness to put your reputation, and more importantly your health on the line for the sake of the sport that bred you.”
Askren is set to take on Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 on July 6. The bout could have title implications. Askren is the fifth-ranked UFC welterweight, while Masvidal holds the fourth spot.
As for Burroughs, many are wondering if he’ll ever make the jump to mixed martial arts. UFC president Dana White has said that he’d have interest if Burroughs decides to put on the gloves.
