Gilbert Burns went out and made easy work of Neil Magny last night at UFC 283 (Sat., Jan. 21, 2023) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil finishing him via arm-triangle choke. (Watch!) The victory put the Brazilian back into the win column after his war with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 last year.
After his win, Burns called out Colby Covington, something he has been doing for years.
“I want to be back very quickly, and I’m going to finish everybody. Colby Covington, I’m coming for you,” Burns said during his in-cage interview.
How does @GilbertDurinho vs @ColbyCovMMA sound to y’all? #UFC283 pic.twitter.com/5zK8ilXm5W
— UFC (@ufc) January 22, 2023
Later during the UFC 283 post-fight interview, Burns would reveal that he actually had a conversation with Covington about three months ago, in which the former two-time title challenger broke kayfabe.
“I saw Colby three months and a half ago,” Burns said. “[I was at] a Brazilian concert in Florida, and I think he had just left the poker room. I was passing by, and I looked and was like, ‘that’s Colby over there.’ I looked at him, and he shook his head and said come here. I said, ‘oh s—t it’s on,’ and I walked over there…I was ready.
“I don’t know what I was gonna say, but Colby said, ‘I’m a huge fan, brother.’ He was super cool. Um, I’m pretty honest right now. I don’t have to lie. He was super cool.”
‘I’m a huge fan; you know I’m a character. I just want to make money. I appreciate you. I know you have a beautiful family.’ He was super cool,” Burns continued, “And it was getting even weirder because he was saying it over and over for over like two minutes, bro.”
Watch the clip at (25:32)
Burns would go on to say that he respects what Covington does but doesn’t agree with it; however, he said if it helps you make a living, ‘you can do whatever you want.’
No one knows what Covington is up to other than making Bang Energy ads weekly. Hopefully, he will return in 2023.
For complete UFC 283 results and coverage click here.