It’s really happening. After a six and a half year hiatus, Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor are wrestling once again, this time at 86 kg. The two had one of the best rivalries for a brief period at 74 kg until David Taylor moved up and won a World title. Now, Jordan Burroughs is moving up to try and solidify his status as the greatest American wrestler of all time.

WATCH BURROUGHS VS TAYLOR

LIVE JANUARY 13, 2021

Below is a chronological breakdown of the entire Jordan Burroughs - David Taylor rivalry.

2012

This match was first put on the radar for wrestling fans in 2012. Jordan Burroughs had become a World champion since winning two NCAA titles at the University of Nebraska, but David Taylor was a young superstar at Penn State. In his two years as a starter in State College, DT had already made two NCAA finals, winning once, and been awarded the Hodge Trophy. However, Taylor failed to make the Olympic Trials finals, and fans were forced to wait.

2013

One year after the 2012 Olympic Trials, Burroughs and Taylor wrestled for the first time in the 2013 US Open finals. A mature Jordan Burroughs handled young David Taylor two periods to none. 

Jordan Burroughs was even comfortable enough with this win that he trained with Taylor and competed in the 2014 US Open.

Watch Burroughs’ and Taylor’s first match below.

2014

Fast forward exactly one year later, and Jordan and David met in the same spot. This time, however, David Taylor cradled JB not once, but twice, and led almost the entire match. It took two late takedowns for the champ to beat the Magic Man. After this, Jordan said no more training with top contenders, and no more wrestling at the US Open.

Watch Burroughs come back from behind late on Taylor at the 2014 US Open below.

Six weeks after their exciting US Open final, Jordan and David met again in a best of three series in the World Team Trials finals. While these matches weren’t quite as close as their US Open final, this is when things started to get a little chippy.

Watch the Burroughs vs Taylor: 2014 World Team Trials Highlight below.

Jordan won somewhat handily two matches to none and would go on to win a fourth-straight World or Olympic medal.

2015

Jordan Burroughs sat to the World Team Trials finals where he saw Kyle Dake after Dake took out Taylor in their rivalry. After the World Championships, David Taylor announced he would be moving up to 86 kg. For a while, JB and DT were even BFFs.

David Taylor is going up to 86kg! Did we just become best friends? @magicman_psu

— Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) September 28, 2015

2018

It took three years, but David Taylor got on top of the World podium and looked incredible doing so. He defeated Hassan Yazdani of Iran, a World and Olympic champion and top 10 pound-for-pound wrestler in the world. Jordan continued to have success at 74 kg, winning another World title and another bronze while the JB - DT rivalry was on pause.

2020

While the world was amid a global pandemic and the Olympics are delayed a year, Jordan Burroughs decided he was going to bump up to 185 lbs and take on Zahid Valencia. This caused a back and forth that spanned both social media and the microphone for about two months.

Thought you’ve been lookin like a beef cake. Test the waters and if you want a shot at the real 86kg 👑 hit me up https://t.co/ZikUMS7QgD

— David Taylor (@magicman_psu) October 4, 2020

I made you disappear from 74kg. So who’s really the magic man? https://t.co/78zxICz4dy

— Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) October 5, 2020

My schedule just got cleared. I want @magicman_psu in December.

— Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) October 21, 2020

Burroughs defeated Valencia and then had the wrestling world going crazy with his mic drop call out.

This is me phoning in from mums bed: glad you were able to squeak out that win. I’m in dawg. Been saying that for months🥱 @alliseeisgold

— David Taylor (@magicman_psu) November 15, 2020

The irony behind you mic dropping and giving me 2 days, is we are still waiting on you ⁦@alliseeisgold⁩ pic.twitter.com/uTnGuoAPP8

— David Taylor (@magicman_psu) November 16, 2020

Then, on December 10th, the rivalry officially became resumed. FloWrestling announced that Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor would officially be wrestling on January 9th. This time, it's World champion vs World champion and at 86 kg.