Since 2011, beating Jordan Burroughs in a single match has proven to be a tall task for anyone at 74kg. However, beating him in two out of three matches has been all but impossible. 

Isaiah Martinez certainly has his work cut out for him this Saturday at Final X in Lincoln, NE, but there are a few things he does really well that could make his upcoming three-bout battle for a world team spot more competitive than people think. 

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Help From The Hooks

One of the things that Burroughs does better than anyone else is staying in perfect position. I'd love to be able to quantify exactly how much time the five-time world and Olympic champion has spent in a perfect wrestling stance over the last two decades. I'd bet that we’d find the result staggering compared to his peers.

If IMar is to have any shot of dethroning Burroughs, the former has to take Burroughs out of his stance. Lucky for Martinez, he has a great set of underhooks. When used properly, underhooks are supposed to take your opponent out of position, even if it’s to the detriment of your own position. Martinez is freakishly strong in close-quarter ties and may be able to walk Burroughs down enough to A) take him out of his rhythm and B) possibly pick up a step out or two. 

Isaiah Martinez: Finally Doing Things Right

Serious Gut Game

We tend to dismiss IMar’s top game because we saw him throw up a lot of optional starts for the Illini, but I'd like to throw a couple of numbers at you. 

In five matches at the U.S. Open this year, IMar averaged 4.4 points per match just on guts. Not 4.4 points per match on turns, that would be higher. Now, I know what you’re thinking: In order to gut Burroughs, Martinez has got to get on top—and you’re right. However, just know that if Martinez does find a way on top he has the ability turn two into a tech with the right lock. 

The Evolution Of The GOAT

If JB wins out to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, it’d be pretty hard to argue that he’s the greatest American wrestler of all time. While I realize that is an enormous “IF,” I don’t think that I’m alone in romanticizing the thought of Burroughs winning three more world and Olympic titles and riding off into the sunset. 

Try your best to take that thought out of the front of your brain for just a minute and take some time to reflect on exactly what it has taken for Jordan Ernest Burroughs to collect the five gold medals that he has right now.

Beat The Streets: Frank Chamizo, Italy vs. Jordan Burroughs, USA

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Burroughs is the Grateful Dead of wrestling. Over the course of their career, the Grateful Dead reinvented themselves almost a dozen times, moving from country/bluegrass to kind of a disco sound on "Terrapin Station" to pop for a bit with "Touch of Grey."

In much the same way, Burroughs burst onto the world stage in 2011 and blew the doors off everyone with his double—but he wasn't finished evolving his game. 

When guys started to put a hand on the ground to prevent the double, his short offense game went through the roof. When guys stood back up and only fed him one leg, he started taking a single on everyone in the world and pushing them out of bounds until they showed him both legs.

In 2015, he started to transition that double into a lace, and you could see the rest of the world throwing its hands in the air and collectively hear it sigh in frustration. In Rio a year later, JB gave up his legs far more than he would have liked. Instead of simply accepting the fact that his footwork wasn’t what it once was, he learned how to scramble as well if not better than anyone the world.

The point in all of this is that you simply can’t game plan for Burroughs. JB has so many different ways to beat you that if you have all the talent in the world, a full year to prepare, the best coaches in the country, and a flawless game plan, you're still not likely to win—ask Kyle Dake.