UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has described the emotion that overcame him after defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273.
It’s been over two weeks since Burns and Chimaev went to war inside Jacksonville’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The pair’s collision not only secured Fight of the Night honors at the April 9 pay-per-view but will certainly be in just about every Fight of the Year conversation come the end of 2022.
After three rounds of action, “Borz” was awarded a close decision victory, which secured his ascent from #11 to #3 on the welterweight ladder. Burns, meanwhile, didn’t lose any stock in defeat and has enhanced his reputation as a tough and game fan favorite.
All respect from @KChimaev after his hard-earned victory
#UFC273 pic.twitter.com/wuoDGt8oE2
— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2022
“Durinho” has never been one to hide his emotion, and that admirable trait was on display again following his loss to Chimaev. During an interview with MMA Underground’s John Morgan, Burns explained that part of his emotion came from how much work he’d put in ahead of his 18th walk to the Octagon.
“You know what makes me so mad? I work very hard, very hard. People have no idea. It’s not the training part for me. For me, it’s the mental aspect,” said Burns. “My team is so big. I hired a lot of people. I have my own nutritionist, I have my own psychologist, I have my own strength and conditioning (coach), I have my own physical therapist… I hired a new coach… I hired everybody.
“It’s such hard work I do to make sure I get ready… So for sure, whenever I lose, I get so mad because I know the amount of work I put in. And I cry,” admitted Burns. “I don’t care. Haters gonna hate, I cry. I put in so much work.”
And who was it that set Burns off post-fight? UFC President Dana White. Nice one Dana…
Burns: “Freakin’ Dana Had To Make Me Cry”
Explaining how he’s come to wear his heart on his sleeve, Burns ventured back to his jiu-jitsu days to highlight the post-fight feelings he experienced after defeat in big tournaments.
“You know the reason why I cry? I’m gonna be very honest with you. Whenever I was coming up in the jiu-jitsu (community), I did a lot of great things on the color belts… But when I became a black belt, it was super (hard) to get a win, especially in the big tournaments,” recalled Burns. “The small ones were easy, couple fights, boom, get a win. But on the big stage, I was getting so mad because I was going there, getting good, boom, semifinals, amazing fight, and I lost.
“And I was so mad because I knew it was a good fight, and people were saying, ‘Ay, don’t worry, that was a great fight.’ And I was so mad when they say that. I kept walking and people (said), ‘Don’t worry, that was a great fight,’ but I lost and I was holding on to, ‘Don’t cry,’ you know? Because I didn’t wanna cry right away… Maybe the third or fourth person came at me, ‘Bro, that was a great fight,’ and then I exploded, crying, ‘But I freakin’ lost!’”
The story Burns recalled is certainly reminiscent of the post-fight reaction to his defeat against Chimaev, which saw many praise his role in all-time classic. Nevertheless, adding a win to his record is the most important thing for Burns when he enters the cage, and he was overcome with emotion when he failed to achieve that.
“Durinho” went on to reveal that it was the words of Dana White that caused him to shed the first tear inside the Octagon.
“It gets to a point that, I hate to lose (so much) that I don’t care if it was a great fight. I just wanna win, I don’t wanna lose,” said Burns. “When the fight was over, I was feeling everyone going crazy, everyone screaming at me, and I was holding on to that feeling. And I tried to be positive and see the good things, then first person I see is Dana, ‘That was amazing fight, that was the best fight I ever seen,’ and that same mentality was coming.
“I was holding on (to not cry) every time that he 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, ‘Sh*t, I couldn’t hold it,’” concluded Burns.
(@gilbert_burns)Having failed to move closer to a potential second crack at dethroning welterweight king Kamaru Usman, it’s back to the drawing board for Burns. It appears the Brazilian’s next opponent could be determined by the UFC’s plans for Chimaev.
Should the promotion’s intention to place “Borz” opposite Colby Covington in its next ABC headliner come to fruition, perhaps Burns will stand toe-to-toe with rising contender Belal Muhammad later this year.
If “Chaos” were to turn down an offer to face the Chechen-born Swede, as Muhammad and Chael Sonnen believe he will, perhaps Burns will throw down with the #1-ranked contender instead.
Who would you like to see Gilbert Burns share the Octagon with next?
Continue Reading Burns Explains Why He Cried After Chimaev Loss at MMA News.
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