Tag: Gilbert Burns

Kamaru Usman’s Thrilling Reign Could Come to an End by Leon Edwards, Says Gilbert Burns

Kamaru UsmanUFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has looked absolutely unstoppable since joining the UFC in 2015. Usman (20-1-0) defeated Tyron Woodley for the welterweight crown at UFC 235. Since then, he has defended his championship five times including multiple defenses against Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. The odd man out on that list is Gilbert Burns, […]

Kamaru Usman

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has looked absolutely unstoppable since joining the UFC in 2015.

Usman (20-1-0) defeated Tyron Woodley for the welterweight crown at UFC 235. Since then, he has defended his championship five times including multiple defenses against Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. The odd man out on that list is Gilbert Burns, who lost in his title bid at UFC 258.

Having both competed against and trained with the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’, Burns believes the next man in line has the tools and the talent to end Usman’s reign.

“I’m telling you right now, Leon Edwards is very underrated,” Burns told Brendan Schaub on ‘Food Truck Diaries.’ “That guy is very good. Just think about it: a striker, long and a southpaw. That’s already tough, and that guy has a great team.”

Burns continued, “I know Kamaru pretty well, but that fight is gonna be close. That fight is gonna be close, and I think if you got these three guys, me in my opinion, Colby, Khamzat, and Leon, Leon has the best chance to beat Usman.”

Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards Are Rumored to Face Each Other at UFC 278 in August

Edwards (19-3-0) has won his last nine bouts dating back to 2016. In fact, his last recorded loss came against Usman the year before his active streak began. Edwards lost that bout via unanimous decision and has been working his way to a title opportunity ever since. That opportunity is now on the horizon. 

“I think because he’s a striker, and he can grapple, and he can wrestle,” Burns said. “Very long. These other guys are wrestlers. They can strike, don’t get me wrong. Both guys (Covington, Chimaev) can strike, but they are wrestlers. That guy (Edwards) is a striker.

“I think out of these three guys, Leon has more chance to beat Kamaru, and I think that fight is gonna be close. Kamaru is very smart. He’s been there a couple of times. I think he’s gonna take the fight very serious, but if he doesn’t, it’s a mistake. It’s a rematch, now fighting for the title. That guy’s been waiting for the opportunity.”

Per a report from Ariel Helwani, the UFC is targeting Usman vs. Edwards 2 for UFC 278 in August. However, Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz confirmed to Brett Okamoto that there is no current timeline for the champion’s return as he continues to recover from hand surgery.

Are you excited to see the long-awaited rematch between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards?

Coach: Chimaev Didn’t Do Anything We Worked On At UFC 273

Khamzat Chimaev got the win at UFC 273 but not by following the game plan. Chimaev is a rising star in the UFC. Since making his debut in the summer of 2020 in Fight Island, he has been turning heads. He is now 5-0 in the UFC and just got his first win over a…

Continue Reading Coach: Chimaev Didn’t Do Anything We Worked On At UFC 273 at MMA News.

Khamzat Chimaev got the win at UFC 273 but not by following the game plan.

Chimaev is a rising star in the UFC. Since making his debut in the summer of 2020 in Fight Island, he has been turning heads. He is now 5-0 in the UFC and just got his first win over a top-five opponent. His win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 might have put him in a good position for a title shot soon.

If the fight against Burns showed one thing it is that Chimeav can go the distance. It was the first decision victory of his professional career. Some fans and critics believe that his weaknesses may have been exposed in that fight, but his coaches have another theory.

“Of course, I didn’t like the way that he wanted to knock the guy out and show everyone that, ‘Look, I’m just gonna walk through this guy as well.’ We had a game plan,” Chimaev’s coach Andreas Michael told MMA Fighting. “The game plan was that he should just keep it simple… He goes in there and tries to knock the guy’s head off from the first moment, which was not the plan. The plan was to box him, keep the jab going. That’s the way to handle that situation. He did absolutely everything we didn’t work on.”

Following the bout, Chimaev himself was disappointed in his performance. Although he acknowledged that he had made mistakes, he seemed eager to right his wrongs and get back to work.

Chimaev has been asking for a fight with Colby Covington next and although the UFC might be interested in that fight, there are plenty of options available to Chimaev, including recent reports of a potential Chimaev/Nate Diaz pairing.

What did you think of Chimaev’s performance at UFC 273 against Gilbert Burns?

Continue Reading Coach: Chimaev Didn’t Do Anything We Worked On At UFC 273 at MMA News.

Jorge Masvidal Agrees To Fight With Gilbert Burns

jorge masvidal gilbert burns‘BMF’ Champion, Jorge Masvidal has accepted a challenge from fellow welterweight Gilbert Burns. Although freshly coming off a loss to Khamzat Chimaev, the three-round war raised the Brazilian’s stock along with his profile. The potential fight of the year saw Burns push the fearsome ‘Borz’ to the bitter edge despite coming in as a huge […]

jorge masvidal gilbert burns

‘BMF’ Champion, Jorge Masvidal has accepted a challenge from fellow welterweight Gilbert Burns.

Although freshly coming off a loss to Khamzat Chimaev, the three-round war raised the Brazilian’s stock along with his profile. The potential fight of the year saw Burns push the fearsome ‘Borz’ to the bitter edge despite coming in as a huge underdog.

Following this performance, the 18-fight UFC veteran believes he was deserving of a big-name opponent, calling for guys like the Diaz brothers and Jorge Masvidal.

Jorge Masvidal knocking out Darren Till at UFC London Fight Night event

“To be honest with you, I want a big fight,” Burns said to TSN. “I don’t know who. Nate Diaz’s name is always on my mind. Nate or Nick, that’s a fight that I’ve always wanted to do. We’ll see, I think maybe Masvidal, then I’ll fight contenders again.”

“We’ll see. I think I’ve earned the spot to get a big fight. I just gave the opportunity to Khamzat, we had a war. I don’t know, I just feel that the way the fight went, he gave me an opportunity to explore a big fight.”

Jorge Masvidal Responds to Gilbert Burns

It seems now that Gilbert Burns may have gotten a bite from one of the biggest names in the sport in ‘Gamebred’.

Masvidal has been relatively quiet since his loss to bitter rival Colby Covington and has a subsequent arrest for assault on ‘Chaos’, but took the time to accept the fight with Burns over social media.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s see” posted Masvidal.

Burns was quick to respond, stating that: “I know you want to get your wrestling on point so do it while i gotta get my sh*t done than we can make this happen later on this year.”

Who would you have, Jorge Masvidal or Gilbert Burns?

Gilbert Burns & Jorge Masvidal Express Mutual Interest In Fighting

Top-10 welterweights Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal are attempting to play matchmakers on social media by putting together a bout against one another. Gilbert Burns has frequently called out opponents on social media, especially since his last victory at UFC 264 over Stephen Thompson. Burns would ultimately end up facing Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273…

Continue Reading Gilbert Burns & Jorge Masvidal Express Mutual Interest In Fighting at MMA News.

Top-10 welterweights Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal are attempting to play matchmakers on social media by putting together a bout against one another.

Gilbert Burns has frequently called out opponents on social media, especially since his last victory at UFC 264 over Stephen Thompson. Burns would ultimately end up facing Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 in a losing effort, and now he’s right back on the call-out trail.

In a Wednesday call-out, Burns appeared to subscribe to the old expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” or, in the case of Twitter, 280 characters.

Burns posted a photo of himself and Masvidal beside a grand sum of four pairs of eye emojis.

Burns’ wordless message was received loud and clear judging by the swift response from “Gamebred.”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s see,” Masvidal wrote.

Neither man is booked at the moment. Masvidal most recently lost to Colby Covington at UFC 272, one month prior to Burns’ loss to Chimaev. Masvidal has since been hassled with legal charges stemming from an alleged attack on Covington outside of a Miami restaurant.

At the moment, Burns is ranked #4, so there is plenty of incentive for the #8-ranked Masvidal to pounce on this callout.

There are currently no reports on if Masvidal’s legal issues will prevent the UFC from booking him in a fight. Just in case, “Gamebred” is taking the initiative in booking himself.

Would you be interested in watching a fight between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal?

Continue Reading Gilbert Burns & Jorge Masvidal Express Mutual Interest In Fighting at MMA News.

Gilbert Burns Opens Up On Loss To Khamzat Chimaev At UFC 273, Says He Will Fight Chimaev Again

Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert BurnsAfter competing in a potential fight of the year, Gilbert Burns has recently discussed his emotions following his loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 and why he will fight him again. Although Gilbert Burns suffered defeat against Khamzat Chimaev, he is still at the top of the heap at 170lbs and he has managed […]

Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert Burns

After competing in a potential fight of the year, Gilbert Burns has recently discussed his emotions following his loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 and why he will fight him again.

Although Gilbert Burns suffered defeat against Khamzat Chimaev, he is still at the top of the heap at 170lbs and he has managed to win over a host of new fans following his lionhearted performance. Burns left it all in the octagon on April 9th, hoping for victory, and ultimately came up short, but he may have won in another way. 

With such an impressive performance, his stock with the UFC will undoubtedly surge to stardom if he continues to deliver. Following his fight with Chimaev, Burns immediately went on to say that he would like to fight him again and looks forward to competing against Khamzat in a rematch in the future. However, Burns has also recently turned to Twitter to promote potential fights with both Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier. 

Both potential matchups against these top contenders in Poirier and Diaz could result in another fight of the year candidate for Gilbert Burns. Following his performance at UFC 273, Burns will surely be treated fairly moving forward by the UFC and will continue to deliver for both the UFC and the fans. 

Gilbert Burns speaks to John Morgan about fight at UFC 273 and why he will fight Khamzat Chimaev again

It’s obvious to most MMA fans that Gilbert Burns leaves it all in the octagon, both physically and emotionally, but in his last outing, ‘Durinho’ pushed himself, and Chimaev, to the absolute limit. Khamzat Chimaev also showed that he truly does belong at the top of the welterweight division, leaving no doubt that he is a tough and hungry contender to threaten for the 170 title. 

“I was holding on [to not cry] every time that he [Dana White] tried to give me good props, a good thing, it was just making me more crazy. Then freakin’ Dana had to make me cry because he talked so much and I was so mad. When I walked out of the Octagon I was already crying, like, ‘s**t, I couldn’t hold it,’” Burns said.

Burns and Chimaev both left everything they had in the octagon, but in a recent interview with John Morgan, Burns opened up on how he felt immediately after suffering defeat to Chimaev. ‘Durinho’ was very transparent with the way he felt and how he couldn’t bottle in the emotions from the night. This shows the true nature of Burns, proving that he truly leaves everything out there when he competes. Burns is a warrior inside and out, and he continues to prove that with the work he puts in and out the octagon. 

Burns also said “We’re not done… We gotta fight again… I wanna fight this guy again, he gotta be one of my next 3 or 4 fights, I gotta face this guy again in a five round fight. I don’t wanna do three rounds no more, I’m done with those three rounds. I wanna do five rounds, I don’t care if I’m the main event, co-main or not.”

Gilbert Burns also expressed interest in fighting Khamzat in a rematch just three days after their war, as well as calling for a five round fight, remarking that he wants to find out who can dig deeper in those last two rounds. Burns claims that there is unfinished between him and Chimaev, and that they will cross paths again.

A potential rematch between Burns and Chimaev will immediately get the attention of every UFC fan, but no one should be surprised if Burns takes a fight against any other top 10 welterweight, as he continues to prove that he is ready to challenge, and maybe even capture, the much coveted 170lb title.

Do you think Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev will fight again in a five round fight?