Final X 2023 presented by Tezos is set to go down on June 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This event will feature the best wrestlers in the United States as they seek to make Team USA’s 2023 World Team. One of the biggest matches of the night will be the rematch from Final X 2022 between Jordan Burroughs and Chance Marsteller. 

Last year, Marsteller almost did the unthinkable when he beat Burroughs in 1 match in their 3-match-series classic. Will Marsteller take it one step further and knock Burroughs off his crown or will JB make his 12th world/Olympic team? Check out the below article for a full breakdown of this incredible matchup!

Burroughs vs Marsteller Match History

Jordan Burroughs and Chance Marsteller have met five times in their freestyle careers with Burroughs coming out on top in 4 of the 5 matches. However, as mentioned above, Chance Marsteller took one match of their best of 3 series at Final X last year. Check out the full match series history below, along with links to videos of every match.

2021 World Team Trials - Burroughs won 4-1

2022 Yasar Dogu - Burroughs won 8-0 

2022 Final X Match 1 - Burroughs won 4-0

2022 Final X Match 2 - Marsteller won 2-2 

2022 Final X Match 3 - Burroughs won 5-0 

Chance Marsteller = Master Of Match Strategy

While Burroughs holds the lead in the rivalry against Marsteller, we should expect their series this year at Final X to be an absolute war. Marsteller might not have the same accolades and offensive abilities Burroughs has, but he is one of the best wrestlers in the world at creating and executing a game plan. 

Marsteller’s execution skills were on full display at both last year’s Final X and this year in the US Open finals against Alex Dieringer. In the three-match-series last year against Burroughs, Marsteller's game plan revolved around using the “grounded” rule to his advantage. In the match he won, Marsteller got out to an early lead with an arm spin and then displayed excellent defensive skills for the remainder of the match. Any time Burroughs rushed Marsteller with his offense, Marsteller worked his way to the edge of the mat, went down to both knees, and used the boundary line to his advantage. Jordan Burroughs is one of the most offensively skilled wrestlers of all time and he was unable to penetrate Marsteller’s defensive gameplan. Check out that match below:

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Going into this year’s US Open final against Alex Dieringer, Chance Marsteller had NEVER beaten Dieringer in 4 freestyle matches. Despite that record, Marsteller wrestled the perfect finals match and got out to a lead in the first period with an early takedown. Marsteller then proceeded to focus on holding position and hand fighting for the remainder of the match with the intention of getting Dieringer placed on the passivity clock. Again, Marsteller executed the game plan and Dieringer was placed on the clock with just 80 seconds remaining in the match. Dieringer was unable to score and Marsteller went on to win the match 3-2. Check out that match below:

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Marsteller also displayed his incredible match strategy when he defeated the current #2 ranked wrestler in the world - Ali Savadkouhi. Savadkouhi is notably the first Iranian to defeat Jordan Burroughs (at last year’s World Cup). On top of that, he has wins over Zaurbek Sidakov (world/Olympic champion) and Mohammad Nokhodi (2X world silver medalist). Simply put, Savadkouhi is one of the best in the world at 79kg.

Marsteller defeated Savadkouhi last July at a Ranking Series event in Egypt, 9-5. In that match, Marsteller scored early and built a 9-1 lead over Savadkouhi. Though Savadkouhi was able to score a takedown and gut wrench, he was unable to get through Marsteller’s defense to mount any kind of comeback. Check out Marsteller’s win over Savadkouhi below:

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The above examples prove that Marsteller will come fully prepared to wrestle Jordan Burroughs and will stay disciplined to execute his game plan. What will his game plan look like? Only Marsteller and his team know the answer to that question. However, I believe Marsteller is at his best when he scores early and then is able to focus on hand-fighting and holding position for the remainder of the match. That means we should expect Marsteller to place a high emphasis on scoring early and building a first-period lead.

Jordan Burroughs Has More Ways To Win

For as good as Marsteller is at executing a game plan, Jordan Burroughs is even better at winning wrestling matches. Burroughs is a 6-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist with 3 other world bronze medals on his resume. It might sound obvious, and it is, but Jordan Burroughs is one of the best wrestlers of all time. 

Check out Burroughs’ win in the 2022 World Finals:

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Many know Burroughs for his high-powered double leg but JB has more offensive tools than most give him credit for, and that’s what makes him such an incredible competitor. In his five matches against Marsteller, Burroughs scored 23 total points off 6 takedowns, 6 step-outs, 4 shot clocks, and 1 caution. Of those 6 takedowns, only 1 came off a double leg. Check out Burroughs' complete scoring breakdown in his matches against Marsteller below:

Yes, Burroughs has the offense, but Burroughs also has incredible defense that sets him apart from most offensive-minded wrestlers. Burroughs’ senior-level record is 226-15, he's outscored his opponents by a combined 1786-399, has 98 shutouts, and has only allowed 5 or more points in 25 matches! In his matches against Marsteller, Burroughs is not only 4-1 but has outscored him by a combined 23-3 with 3 shutouts and hasn’t allowed more than 2 points in a single match.

Check out Burroughs’ win over Chance Marsteller in the 3rd match of Final X:

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Burroughs is going to score, he’s proven that over and over again throughout his career. The difference maker in his matches against Marsteller has been Burroughs’ defensive ability. Simply put, if Marsteller continues to only score 1 or 2 points in a match, his probability of beating Burroughs is very slim. It will be fascinating to see if Marsteller is able to generate more offense this time around or if Burroughs continues to stifle Marsteller in this area. 

Prediction For Final X 

Can Chance Marsteller finally knock Burroughs off his throne or will JB go on to make his 12th world/Olympic team? With 5 matches already wrestled between the two, their familiarity should produce incredibly close matches in Newark. Based on their matches last year, we should expect at least 2, low-scoring battles.

Marsteller will come with a perfectly crafted game plan and we can expect him to execute it perfectly. However, Jordan Burroughs has proven to be better than Marsteller and I believe he’ll prove it once again. I expect Burroughs to come prepared with a solution for Marsteller’s edge tactics and for Burroughs' defense to continue to frustrate Marsteller. I wouldn’t be surprised if Marsteller is able to sneak one match in the series like last year, but in the end, I expect Burroughs to once again be the world team member at 79kg for Team USA.

Final X is the Beat the Streets New York Benefit

It is the second straight year Final X will serve as the Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit. This year’s event will be the 13th BTSNY Annual Benefit. These unique and electrifying annual events help BTSNY raise more than $1 million each year to support local youth wrestling programs which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party will follow the conclusion of Final X. Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages (Final X plus exclusive after-party celebration access), that also provide the best wrestling-event seats, are available at give.btsny.org/beatthestreetsbenefit2023. For more information on ticket packages, email Katrin Pokalyukhin at katrin@btsny.org. Event-only tickets for Final X without access to the BTSNY after-party celebration are available on Ticketmaster.