In a remarkable feat, 20-year-old American wrestler Amit Elor has etched her name in the history books by becoming the youngest Olympic gold medalist in US wrestling history. On Tuesday, Elor defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 in the 68kg final at the 2024 Paris Games, extending her winning streak to an impressive 41 matches that dates back five years.
Elor’s accomplishment has caught the attention of MMA legend Daniel Cormier, who believes the young prodigy has the potential to become a major star in the world of mixed martial arts.
Cormier, a former dual-weight UFC champion who himself transitioned from Olympic wrestling to MMA, highlighted Elor’s impressive skill set, which includes not only her wrestling prowess but also her experience in judo and her purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“Amit Elor is a judo fighter, a jiu-jitsu fighter, she’s a world-champion wrestler, she can do it all,” Cormier said. “When she crosses over to MMA, could you imagine, not only the excitement but how dangerous she could be and the potential star she could be when you’re carrying an Olympic gold medal?”
Elor’s head coach, Sara McMann, is also no stranger to the MMA world. McMann, a silver medalist in wrestling at the 2004 Athens Olympics, went on to compete in the UFC, sharing the Octagon with top-level fighters such as Amanda Nunes, Miesha Tate, and Julianna Peña. Elor’s management team is also led by Daniel Rubenstein, a known MMA agent, further fueling speculation that the young wrestler may transition to the cage in the near future.
“You know what’s interesting about Amit Elor? Who manages her, Daniel Rubenstein,” Cormier explained. “What excites me about that is, what does Daniel Rubenstein manage? He doesn’t manage wrestlers, he manages MMA fighters. So, we might be looking at a future MMA fighter.”
With the 2028 Olympics on the horizon, Elor must now decide whether to defend her title or potentially follow in the footsteps of Ronda Rousey and make the switch to MMA. Cormier, for one, believes that the sky’s the limit for the young prodigy, who has already proven herself to be a dominant force in the wrestling world.
