Early in his freestyle career, Burroughs went unbeaten in his first 68 matches, winning multiple World and Olympic titles in the process. At the 2011 World Championships, the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2013 World Championships, he defeated Iran in the finals, beating Sadegh Goudarzi in 2011 and 2012 and Ezzatollah Akbari in 2013. After getting his streak snapped in 2014 and placing third at the World Championships, Burroughs climbed back on top of the podium and claimed the 2015 World Championship, defeating Pürevjavyn Önörbat in the finale. Going into the 2016 Summer Olympics, Burroughs, the defending World and Olympic champion, had a record of 130–2 and was heavily favored to become a two–time Olympic champion, though he was defeated by Aniuar Geduev in the second round.