Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Herbert Burns wants to hit the iron while it is hot and has a couple of names on his mind already.
Rising prospect Herbert Burns doesn’t want to waste time after his quick submission win over Evan Dunham at UFC 250. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt and the younger brother of welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, the ‘Blaze’ wishes to get back in the Octagon as soon as possible and already knows who he wants to fight next.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Burns named two athletes he wishes to face next and hopefully very soon: fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout Ryan Hall and undefeated prospect Bryce Mitchell.
“My nickname is ‘The Blaze,’ so I try to blaze through my opponents in the quickest way possible. The Apex gives me luck. It’s my second first-round submission win there. (Fighting there again) helped me, because I already knew what to expect. I warmed up in the same locker room. So when I learned I would be in the same locker room, I said it would be the same result (as his Contender Series fight against Darrick Minner)”.
“I want to fight as quickly as possible. If I could fight on the ‘Fight Island’, it would be awesome. I’ve been to United Arab Emirates before, I’ve fought in Dubai for ONE Championship, I got good wins there. It would be awesome to go back. I want fight Bryce Mitchell or Ryan Hall. If I could choose, it would be Hall, a ranked guy, he has jiu-jitsu chops, too. We would see who’s the most well-rounded guy, which I think is me. If he doesn’t want to, Bryce MItchell is a young prospect, his grappling game is also strong.”
Before his win over Dunham, Herbert Burns (11-2) knocked out Nate Landwehr in his debut, back in January. Right now, the 32-year-old is on a five-fight winning streak, with his last loss dating back to an August 2017 unanimous decision defeat to Magomed Idrisov.