After his latest three-round outing, UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has his sights set on five-round fights from here on out.
If Burns didn’t have the respect of the entire MMA community prior to UFC 273, he certainly did after. In an absolute war against Khamzat Chimaev, the Brazilian left everything inside the cage. Despite falling on the wrong side of the decision, it’s safe to say “Durinho” did no damage to his stock in Jacksonville on April 9.
Prior to the fight, Burns had called for the promotion to book his collision with Chimaev for five rounds. After their memorable Fight of the Year-worthy clash, the 35-year-old stated his frustration at only being allowed to throw down with “Borz” for 15 minutes.
Now, Burns believes he’s paid his dues in three-round contests.
Burns: Fans Miss Out With Three Rounds
During an interview with MMA Underground’s John Morgan, Burns, who dropped two places to #4 in the rankings following UFC 273, discussed what’s next for him as he looks to rebound once again.
After reiterating that a rematch with Chimaev is on his radar for the future, “Durinho” suggested that whoever he faces, he’s expecting nothing but five-rounders moving forward.
“In my next three or four fights, I’ve gotta face this guy (Chimaev) again. To be honest, one of the things that (I’ll say) if I do have the opportunity to have a meeting with Dana (White), I don’t wanna do three rounds no more. I’m done with those three rounds,” asserted Burns. “I wanna do five rounds. I don’t care if I’m the main event, co-main, or not.
“Everyone can make 15 minutes. Everyone can do three rounds. All these guys in the UFC, they do three rounds. Not everybody do 25. A couple guys will be in the UFC and out the UFC, and they will never do five rounds. I think we miss a little bit,” continued Burns.
Discussing his initial desire to go 25 minutes with the now-#2 contender Chimaev, Burns suggested that he’d much rather have had the chance to go out on his shield in a fourth or fifth frame. He also believes the fans lost out by being denied an extra 10 minutes of action inside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
“It might (have gone) wrong if we did 25 minutes (at UFC 273). I might have got caught in the fourth or last round and lose, but at least I go on my shield, you know? It could go my way too. So, I think people lose a little bit of entertainment or like, a couple more crazy rounds,” concluded Burns.
Would you like to see Gilbert Burns solely enter the Octagon for five-round fights moving forward?
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