It took Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs less than 90 seconds to dismantle Magomed Kurbanaliev 10-0 in a wrestling match in Moscow. Victory secured, the American turned straight to the reigning UFC champion, Islam Makhachev, and demanded a meeting on the mat: "Islam, where are you? Hey, I came to your country, to your capital city, and tech-fall'd one of your champions. I will be back to Russia very soon and the only person I want to share the stage with is Islam."
The American wrestler wants the confrontation settled on the mat. The Dagestani champion, tellingly, wants to change the rules. Makhachev accepted the challenge but set a condition of his own: "Congrats on your win legend. In the cage, anywhere anytime." He will meet Burroughs only under mixed martial arts (MMA) rules. Unlike other UFC stars such as Khamzat Chimaev, Arman Tsarukyan and Sean Brady, Makhachev has never entered a grappling or wrestling tournament. Ultimately, if the American Olympic champion truly wants this one, he will have to step off the mat and into the Octagon.
