A lot of kids can't identify with the things I've done and where I'm from and who I am as an individual. That's why I've tried to be a person and live my life in a way that can be identified by all cultures.
— Jordan Burroughs
High school wrestling is awesome.
The way the podium is situated in wrestling, the first place spot is the center. So if I'm in a bathroom, I'll look for the first place urinal.
Donald Trump and I have very different views on Iranians. I am confident that if he ever visited the country, he'd learn a lot about the people and come back to the States with a newfound appreciation for the Persians.
I was an All-American at three different weight classes in college. Started off at 149, then 157, and then finished up my senior year at 165.
I think the ultimate sign of an icon or legend in any sport is the ability to elevate their teammates.
I've got a home. I've got a wife. I've got everything I need.
Within a match, there's so many things that happen that could ultimately determine the outcome: You reach too much with your right hand, you step forward with your left leg, you get your head out of position.
When I was growing up, I was a big Ultimate Warrior fan; I liked Macho Man Randy Savage and a lot of other bad dudes.
It's easy to be selfish and focus on what you have to do and what you need to do to accomplish your goals and be like, 'I'll give back later,' but there's no better time than now.
I am who I am and who I try to be - someone who loves wrestling and loves people.
It's harder to be a dad than an Olympic champion.
I love legends. I love reading up on the greats in their time period. I think, 'Man, what it would be like to live when they were competing and see them at their best!'
You know what's cooler than being the richest guy in the room? Being the toughest guy in the room.
The worst thing for me would be going back to where I was - relative obscurity.
I've won every single event there is to win as a wrestler, and I still continue to come back every single year. The hard part for me is, 'OK, how long can you do this?'
Nebraska and Indiana were really the only Division One schools that expressed any interest in me.
I take a lot of pride in beating guys like Kyle Dake or David Taylor or these guys who have been basically bred to do this from Day 1. The best camps, the best high schools, the best universities. I never had that. It's not necessary, but I never had any of the frills a lot of those guys had.
I have wrestled in almost every tournament in the world. I've won the Olympics, NCAAs, and World Championships, but none of those can truly compare to the feeling I felt when I won my first and only state championship my senior year of high school.
I've dreamed on numerous occasions that I've lost the biggest event in my life, and there was absolutely nothing that I could do about it.
I don't describe myself as a nationalist, but I do love my country.
I think every young man's goal is to be a professional athlete, whether it's the NBA, MLB, or the NFL.
I'm not a big guy that watches technique from my opponents. I try to do what I do best and hope that my stuff is better than their best stuff.
There's a pride in representing your country on a stage like the sport of wrestling, which I've done since I was five years old. There's nothing that can deter me other than my own decision to leave the sport.
There's always an opportunity to be your best until I hang up my shoes.
I wouldn't go to pro wrestling. It's not really my thing. I'm a fan, but I think every sport could take some notes from the WWE - how they've progressed and stayed relevant for such a long period of time.
If I wrestle in 2020, I want it to be my own decision and not the IOC's.
Family is most important to me.
Every single time I get on the mat, every tournament, I get to see what I'm made of, how tough I am, where my desire is, and how hard I've worked.
Discipline, focus, endurance is what it takes to be the greatest at this sport.
Everybody makes money; not everybody makes history.
I've got the ability to control my destiny, and I take pride in that.
Once you've reached the highest level, you always want to get back there. It's like, once you drive a Ferrari, you're not satisfied driving a Honda anymore.
So many kids dream about playing in the NFL. But I was 130 pounds in ninth grade. I looked around and didn't see any 130-pound wide receivers in the pros.
Every person I wrestle, it's the biggest match of their career. They're Buster Douglas. But what's the honor in being Mike Tyson and beating Buster Douglas? I win and move on. They win, and it's a game-changer for the rest of their lives.
I think every athlete is afraid for their career to be over.
I've become close with Masoud Esmaeilpour and consider him a friend. We send each other messages from time to time on Instagram, checking in to see how the other is doing. Whenever I see him, he's always a gentleman, giving me tips about my next opponent. There is a tremendous amount of respect in our friendship.
For Americans, of course, it's football, basketball, and baseball. We live for it. In many ways, it sums up who we are. In Iran, it's all about wrestling. The patriotism toward their country comes out in the way they wrestle, so it makes sense why they're the best.
Believe it or not, my goal was always to play in the NFL.
I think a lot of guys get out of wrestling for financial incentive to go to the UFC, but I'm doing well.
People need to feel like their heroes are human, not on the mat but in the world. The more people can see that, the more they can understand that they're capable of doing great things as well.
If you look at my iPod, I've got so much different music. I think that it kind of describes me as a person, just being a chameleon to whatever particular environment that I'm in.
It's never too late to be great.
I enjoy wrestling. I enjoy the sport. I get to go against the world's best athletes.
Within the realm of wrestling, it's been the same every year - just continually trying to improve and evolve as a wrestler, putting myself in a position to not maintain but maximize my potential.
I'm not afraid to tell people what I hope to accomplish and what I believe I'm capable of. I'm ready to take the backlash if I don't accomplish my dreams.
The difference between the greats and the legends is their ability to focus for longer periods of time.
It's one thing to never accomplish anything. You start from the bottom, you remain at the bottom, and all you know is the bottom. When you start at the bottom and you get to the top, and you feel the success and the notoriety and the recognition from being the champion, and you go back to losing, that's a tough place to be in.
I remember my first World Championships. I got zero turns, and I got turned multiple times, and I was still a World Champion.
Dorm-room life was a tough transition. You're young, and you realize how much you miss the comfort of home.
