Jordan Burroughs’ status as one of the most dominant wrestlers of his generation was enhanced on Monday in New York City, as the two-time Olympian shellacked UFC welterweight contender and former Olympic wrestler Ben Askren at the Beat the Streets ‘Grapple in the Garden’ event inside Madison Square Garden.
30-year-old Burroughs won by technical fall with the score at 11-0, being awarded the victory after securing the necessary amount of points. The match was a highly anticipated one, with two of the most decorated wrestlers in recent US history squaring off but once it began it became clear that Burroughs had an edge on the UFC 170-pound contender.
He’s a GOAT for a reason.
Jordan Burroughs leaves no doubt over Ben Askren. pic.twitter.com/OK7Bif5rip
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) May 7, 2019
Burroughs seized initiative early, scoring with a single-leg takedown which sent Askren tumbling from the mat. Soon after he hit a head-and-chest double-leg takedown to take a 5-0 lead after the first minute of action. He led 9-0 by the end of the first round.
The end came shortly into the second round when Burroughs secured an 11-0 lead, enough for the match to be called in his favour.
“What we’ve learned so far is that Jordan Burroughs is a better wrestler than Ben Askren,” Flo Wrestling commentator Mark Bader said during the match. “Which I think we already knew.”
Burroughs is an Olympic and four-time World champion who holds a 33-4 Olympic & World Championship record while Askren, who represented the United States in the 2008 Olympics. He was a two-time national champion as part of the Missouri program, combining for a 153-8 record.
There’s levels to this. pic.twitter.com/26z8SYy16F
— Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) May 7, 2019
Afterwards, Burroughs exclaimed on social media that there are “levels to this”. He has previously stated that his goal is to once again make the US Olympic team for next summer’s games in Tokyo. Askren, meanwhile, will face Jorge Masvidal on the main card of UFC 239 in Las Vegas on July 6.
Image via FloWrestling.
