Olympic Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs Joins RAF at 37

One of America's greatest wrestlers is trading the mat for a new challenge, proving that champions keep evolving no matter their age.

Jordan Burroughs, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Champion, has signed with RAF and will make his promotional debut on August 22 in Cleveland. At 37, he's bringing decades of elite competition experience to a fresh arena.

Burroughs built a wrestling legacy that few can match. He won two national championships at the University of Nebraska before dominating the international 74-kilogram weight class for nearly a decade.

His trophy case tells the story: World Championship golds in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017, plus three bronze medals. The crown jewel came at the 2012 London Olympics, where he captured gold for Team USA.

Not every moment was victorious. Burroughs entered the 2016 Olympics as a heavy favorite but didn't medal. In 2020, he lost to Kyle Dake at the U.S. trials and missed the Olympic team entirely.

Why This Inspires

What makes Burroughs' story compelling isn't just his wins. After the 2020 disappointment, he moved up a weight class to 79 kilograms and won back-to-back World Championships in 2021 and 2022.

That kind of resilience, that willingness to adapt and restart, shows the mindset that creates lasting excellence. Now he's applying that same approach to a completely new challenge with RAF.

Burroughs last competed at the 2024 World Championships before announcing this new chapter. His opponent for the Cleveland debut hasn't been announced yet, but fans are already buzzing about what this wrestling icon will bring to the sport.

Champions don't stop when one chapter ends; they write new ones.