Gilbert Burns made his transition to MMA hoping to eventually sign a contract with the UFC, and he needed seven fights to make it happen. “Durinho” announced on his Instagram page on Friday that he has signed a deal with the promotion.
“Signing with the UFC wasn’t a dream. It’s a goal,” Burns told MMAFighting.com. “I set this goal and I reached it. I’m going after that belt now.”
“Durinho” used to compete as a lightweight in Brazil, but struggled to make weight a few times. He will fight at 170 pounds in his UFC debut, but hopes to drop to the lightweight division for his next fights.
“I will fight at 170 now as a promise to my doctor,” he said. “My doctor Rodrigo Mauro told me that I would fight better at 170, but I want to be a lightweight. I want to be the man at 155. I will do this fight at 170 first, and then we’ll see if I can cut down to 155.”
Burns told MMAFighting.com that he will make his UFC debut in the United States in July, but is still waiting for the exact date and the name of his opponent.
A multiple time jiu-jitsu champion with wins over the likes of Kron Gracie and JT Torres, Burns made his MMA debut in 2012 with a first-round submission victory over Jose Salgado in George, Utah.
The Blackzilians product stopped all of his next six opponents with first-round finishes. In his last appearance, Burns needed 62 seconds to defeat Paulo Teixeira at Face to Face 7 on May 2.
Gilbert Burns made his transition to MMA hoping to eventually sign a contract with the UFC, and he needed seven fights to make it happen. “Durinho” announced on his Instagram page on Friday that he has signed a deal with the promotion.
“Signing with the UFC wasn’t a dream. It’s a goal,” Burns told MMAFighting.com. “I set this goal and I reached it. I’m going after that belt now.”
“Durinho” used to compete as a lightweight in Brazil, but struggled to make weight a few times. He will fight at 170 pounds in his UFC debut, but hopes to drop to the lightweight division for his next fights.
“I will fight at 170 now as a promise to my doctor,” he said. “My doctor Rodrigo Mauro told me that I would fight better at 170, but I want to be a lightweight. I want to be the man at 155. I will do this fight at 170 first, and then we’ll see if I can cut down to 155.”
Burns told MMAFighting.com that he will make his UFC debut in the United States in July, but is still waiting for the exact date and the name of his opponent.
A multiple time jiu-jitsu champion with wins over the likes of Kron Gracie and JT Torres, Burns made his MMA debut in 2012 with a first-round submission victory over Jose Salgado in George, Utah.
The Blackzilians product stopped all of his next six opponents with first-round finishes. In his last appearance, Burns needed 62 seconds to defeat Paulo Teixeira at Face to Face 7 on May 2.
