Herbert Burns and Harris Sarmiento | Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images
Featherweight Herbert Burns will take on Darrick Miner at week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
The Burns brothers could be the newest pair of siblings introduced to the UFC, alongside famous pairings like Pettis, Diaz, Lauzon and Miller. But, before that can happen, one of them still has one last challenge between himself and a potential debut inside the Octagon.
Featherweight Herbert Burns, the younger brother of UFC lightweight (and currently short-notice welterweight) Gilbert Burns, is expected to perform on the next week’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series. The show is set for August 6, and he has big expectations for his UFC career—should he make it past the TV show.
In an interview with Bloody Elbow, Burns explained how he earned a spot on the show after his last outing at Titan FC. Burns scored a submission win over Luis Gomez at Titan FC 54 back in April, and now he has plans to earn a spot on a UFC main card—straight off his fight at Contender Series if possible.
“I think [the UFC] was surprised by the way I won my last fight at Titan,” Burns explained. “Luis Gomez is really tough, he’s a former champion of that organization. Everyone expected a close fight, but it ended up being a monologue. That’s how I fight. When I’m able to take them down, my jiu-jitsu is too superior to my opponents’, so I can make the fight become a monologue. I want to have a good fight, to show I’m UFC caliber. I don’t want to just get into the UFC, I want to make a statement. I want to come out of the show straight to an UFC main card.”
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt, just like his brother, Herbert went into detail about his professional relationship with Gilbert. He and ‘Durinho’ will perform on the same weekend for their next fights, which he hopes to be a successful one for the family.
“We did our entire camp together,” Burns said. “He was supposed to be in my corner, but he took a short notice fight against Alexey Kunchenko at UFC Uruguay, so he won’t be with me. But we talked all the time. We analyzed our opponents, we exchange information, and we’re ready. I’m sure it’ll be a successful weekend for the Burns family. I have cornered Durinho a few times before. The experience having gone to UFC events before, and having fought for major promotions, made my mind ready for this fight. There is no pressure of fighting in a big league.”
A ONE Championship veteran, Herbert is confident of success in his bout against Darrick Miner. Even though his opponent is a more experienced fighter, Burns believes that his time fighting for the Asian promotion, as well as his training routine, will erase that experience gap between both men.
“Darrick Miner is a tough guy. He’s very experienced, he has over 30 fights on his record. But I have fought experience guys before. Like Harris Sarmiento, who had 62 fights when I was headed for my third fight at ONE. I dominated the fight and won via unanimous decision. His experience made no difference. I train with guys who are in the UFC and Bellator. If we go to the ground, I’m certain I’ll submit him. If we remain standing? My striking has evolved a lot, and I could get the knockout. If I can take him down and submit him quickly, though, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Herbert Burns (8-2) will look for his third straight win, after tapping out both Aibek Nurseit and Luis Gomez in his last two bouts. Before the wins, though, the 31-year-old was on a two-fight losing skid, with unanimous decision losses to Movlid Khaybulaev and Magomed Idrisov.
Dana White’s Contender Series 2019: Week 7 takes place on August 6th and airs live on ESPN+. The event is scheduled to be headlined by a lightweight bout between Omar Morales and Harvey Park.