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The 15 pound jump between Lightweight and Welterweight is not an easy adjustment to make. One man who knows that better than most is Gilbert Burns, who struggled to find much momentum in the talent-rich Lightweight division while enduring a severe weight cut. “Durinho” eventually jumped up to Welterweight, where he immediately went on a major win streak.
He’s since fought for the title and established himself as a mainstay of the Top Five. Burns may be the exception to the rule, however, and he doubts that Conor McGregor will find similar success against larger opponents. McGregor has revealed he’s targeting a Welterweight title shot, potentially immediately after his Michael Chandler match up, but Burns thinks the only real effect McGregor will have on the division is making somebody a whole lot of money.
“The only thing he can do at 170 is make whoever’s the champion rich,” Burns said (via MMAFighting). “I hope it’s me, but if it’s Leon [Edwards], if it’s Colby [Covington], whoever it is, you’re going to get a lot of money, but I don’t think it’s going to be a hard fight.
“Whenever [McGregor] is committed to training, no whiskey, no crazy stuff, if they lock him up and this guy’s focused on training, he’s very dangerous. But I don’t think that’s the case. But that’s at 155. At 170, it’s a whole different game. We’re all like 190 [pounds], lean, mean, fighting the best guys in the world, and this guy thinks he’s going to jump out of the yacht and beat me, beat one of the top 5 [fighters]? Guaranteed, no way he’s doing that.”
Burns is currently scheduled to face Jorge Masvidal next weekend (Sat., April 8, 2023) at UFC 287, and a win could put him right back into the title mix.
Insomnia
Stephen Thompson sounds like he has a fight booked!
Fight news coming soon!! Excited for this one!
— Wonderboy (@WonderboyMMA) March 30, 2023
Before IFW! I want to fight a few times this year Lord willing
— Wonderboy (@WonderboyMMA) March 30, 2023
It’s kind of crazy to me that UFC has three Mexican champions but won’t make the effort to hold a show in Mexico this year. Why?
UFC champion Alexa Grasso met with Mexico’s president Lopez Obrador yesterday at the National Palace in Mexico City.
: @mariodelgadorzm pic.twitter.com/9iBbJJx9fU
— Danny Segura (@dannyseguratv) March 30, 2023
There’s no way for Alex Pereira to get more intimidating … OH WAIT!
Soon #theiceman #chuckliddell #ready #pronto #ufc287 pic.twitter.com/LxiDDNyL5E
— Alex “Poatan” Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) March 30, 2023
If I could go through life without experienced this specific pain that Chris Weidman describes here. that’d be great.
The way Chris Weidman describes the pain from breaking his leg the same way Anderson Silva broke his in their fight
Full story: https://t.co/wtqcA8N5hw pic.twitter.com/k4MCxryHlc
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 30, 2023
Shifting into the rear uppercut is a risky technique, unless you set it up as well as Cory Sandhagen!
Shifting uppercuts are a crafty way to punish an opponent looking to retreat behind a long guard and parries. pic.twitter.com/0QiaiSeKGd
— Miguel Class (@MigClass) March 30, 2023
UFC is heading to “The Tar Heel State.”
North Carolina fans…
We make our return to the @SpectrumCenter May 13th! #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/fVm5Gf2js9
— UFC (@ufc) March 30, 2023
Matt Schnell vs. David Dvorak feels like a guaranteed Flyweight banger with solid potential to end before the bell.
Matt Schnell will fight David Dvorak at #UFC289 on June 10th. (first rep. @mma_orbit) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 pic.twitter.com/gnUR57ul8Z
— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) March 30, 2023
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Walking to the cage to fight a leg destroyer like Edson Barboza (or Justin Gaethje for that matter), seems like it would always be at least a little intimidating.
One of the few times I’ve been scared walking into a fight was against Barboza. Watching him body people was definitely in the back of my mind. https://t.co/UmmvJxR2AY
— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) March 30, 2023
Not enough modern fight fans know about Igor “Ice Cold” Vovchanchyn. Legend!
The best tournament fighter in NHB/Vale Tudo history. Won 11 one-night tournaments (that we know of) and made it to the finals of 3 more, one of them the PRIDE 2000 Grand Prix. https://t.co/F78j9YBbXq
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 30, 2023
Nong-O kicks wildly hard.
Random Land
Satisfying.
Midnight Music: Rock, 2000
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.