UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has a solution for Nate Diaz’s repeated calls for a return to the Octagon. Diaz was originally expected to fight Dustin Poirier next, but negotiations have stalled and the UFC has moved on from the matchup. Burns recently competed in a ‘Fight of the Year’ frontrunner against Khamzat Chimaev at…
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has a solution for Nate Diaz’s repeated calls for a return to the Octagon.
Diaz was originally expected to fight Dustin Poirier next, but negotiations have stalled and the UFC has moved on from the matchup. Burns recently competed in a ‘Fight of the Year’ frontrunner against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273, losing via unanimous decision.
Diaz hasn’t fought in the Octagon since his loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263. He was allegedly offered a fight with Chimaev last year but turned it down.
Burns is eager to get back in the cage following his three-round war with Chimaev. While Diaz is in a similar predicament, he’s repeatedly called on the UFC on social media to get him booked.
In a recent tweet, Burns offered to help Diaz find an adversary for his last UFC fight on his current deal.
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) April 26, 2022
“Fight me Nathan,” Burns said.
Burns has also called for a five-round rematch with Chimaev, but it appears that Chimaev could get Colby Covington next. This could open the door to a potential fight between Diaz and Burns.
Before his loss to Chimaev, Burns earned a unanimous decision win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264 after losing a welterweight title shot to Kamaru Usman at UFC 258.
While there doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between Diaz and Burns, there’s some interest from Burns in a potential fight with the Stockton star.
Would you be interested in a Gilbert Burns vs Nate Diaz matchup?
UFC fighter Dustin Poirier is still eying a potential opponent for his Octagon return, and he may have a willing adversary in Gilbert Burns. Poirier is coming off an eventful 2021 in which he earned back-to-back wins over Conor McGregor and also challenged for the lightweight title. He had planned to face Nate Diaz next,…
UFC fighter Dustin Poirier is still eying a potential opponent for his Octagon return, and he may have a willing adversary in Gilbert Burns.
Poirier is coming off an eventful 2021 in which he earned back-to-back wins over Conor McGregor and also challenged for the lightweight title. He had planned to face Nate Diaz next, but it appears the UFC is moving on from the idea of the booking due to stalled negotiations.
Despite not getting his preferred opponent, it appears that Poirier is rejuvenated and focused on a return to the UFC, potentially as soon as this summer.
In a recent tweet, Poirier re-iterated his desire for a fight later this year.
It’s unclear if Poirier intends to return at lightweight or welterweight for his 2022 debut. He has previously hinted at a move to 170lbs following his lightweight title loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269.
If Poirier intends on making good on his previous intentions, he seems to have a willing opponent in the form of Burns.
Burns is coming off of a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. After three rounds of nonstop action, Chimaev earned the win via a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.
A fight with Burns could make sense if Poirier moves up to welterweight. However, Poirier may also opt to stay at lightweight and potentially work his way towards a rematch with Oliveira.
Poirier and Burns both have their sights set on UFC title redemptions after falling short in their recent championship opportunities.
Who do you want to see Dustin Poirier fight next in his UFC return?
PFL lightweight Jeremy Stephens has named the war between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns as a motivation behind his own barnburner against Clay Collard. If fans thought the Fight of the Year conversation came to a close at UFC 273 earlier this month, they were sorely mistaken. At the opening event of this year’s Professional…
PFL lightweight Jeremy Stephens has named the war between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns as a motivation behind his own barnburner against Clay Collard.
Following the contest, Stephens credited the work of two UFC welterweight stars for firing him up ahead of PFL 1 on Wednesday.
Stephens Credits Chimaev & Burns For ‘Pumping’ Him Up
During his post-fight interaction with the media, Stephens pointed to the April 9 welterweight clash between elite UFC contenders Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns. The pair threw down for three rounds inside the Octagon at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.
Having seen that FOTY-worthy bout, “Lil Heathen” said he was fired up to debut in the PFL with a similarly “insane” matchup. To say he did just that would certainly be an understatement.
“He was getting tired, we were banging, who wouldn’t want to see another two rounds of that, right? … That was a sick-ass fight dude,” said Stephens. “You know, I watched that Chimaev and Burns fight, and that fight really pumped me up. I was like, ‘Dude, I wanna get into a f*ckin’ fight like that.’ And coming here tonight, you know, I’ve been watching Formula One, I was ready to die tonight.
“It’s been a long f*ckin’ layoff, so it was good to come in here and have that type of scrap, have a guy with a set of balls on him to fight me like that,” added Stephens. “I think I clipped him like seven, eight times dude. That was an insane fight.”
These two just left it ALL in the Octagon. What. A. Fight
Taking the similarities beyond just the action, Stephens followed in the footsteps of Burns, who fell short at UFC 273, by admitting his frustration at not having another two rounds inside the cage with Collard. Like “Durinho,” Stephens is targeting a five-round rematch down the line.
The PFL environment makes that a big possibility. If both Stephens and Collard qualify for the lightweight playoffs at the end of the year, they could well get some more time to exchange leather.
Khamzat Chimaev is looking back at his UFC 273 performance. Rising welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev has never been closer to a UFC title shot before. His performance and win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 was the just the thing that got him to where he is right now. He is now sitting in the…
Khamzat Chimaev is looking back at his UFC 273 performance.
Rising welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev has never been closer to a UFC title shot before. His performance and win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 was the just the thing that got him to where he is right now. He is now sitting in the number three spot and just one or two fights away from facing the champ.
“I feel sorry for my coaches. They work hard with me. I made many mistakes. Go back and watch my fight, like I always do,” Chimaev said via BJPenn.com I will work hard, more energy. I need to be (better) everywhere. Black belt, striking, ground-and-pound, wrestling, grappling, whatever, everything. I will fix everything now. One way I’m happy and one way I’m mad. I’m mad because I couldn’t finish the guy!”
Chimaev’s win over Burns was by unanimous decision. It was the first time he hasn’t been able to finish an opponent in his professional career. Khamzat only has 11 professional fights to his name and just five in the UFC so far, but he has been one of the fastest-rising fighters in the past few years with a lot of hype around him. He knows now since facing his first top-five opponent that he must work on these things he mentioned.
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns expects to get a big fight next as promised by Dana White after his thrilling clash with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. After his exceptional performance against Khamzat Chimave at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns was awarded his win money in addition to the bonuses and show money. ‘Durinho’ put on […]
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns expects to get a big fight next as promised by Dana White after his thrilling clash with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273.
After his exceptional performance against Khamzat Chimave at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns was awarded his win money in addition to the bonuses and show money. ‘Durinho’ put on the fight of the night with a gritty performance that had the fans going crazy in excitement as well as the fighters.
In a recent interview with Ag Fight, Gilbert Burns shared that UFC president Dana White was delighted by his performance and promised to give him a big fight next.
“I expected the win, but it happens. It had a great repercussion, everybody liked the fight. Yesterday, I had a meeting with Dana White, he was thrilled. He said my next fight is going to be a big one. I don’t know who it’s going to be against, but I liked what he said. He promised me a big fight. I chose to believe him and I’m at ease now. Let’s wait and see.”
Burns signed a six-fight deal ahead of his title bout with Kamaru Usman. With two more fights since the title challenge, there are still three more fights left on his current deal. However, the Brazilian fighter feels like he can get the deal renegotiated and come out with a better contract.
“It’s almost certain that they’ll give me a new contract.” Burns said. “I renewed it in my fight against Usman. It was six fights. I fought Kamaru, Thompson and now Chimaev. I still had three more to go, but it’s ‘promised’ that they’ll give me a new one. I hope it all works out. It’s not certain, but I think I can ask for a new one after a performance like that.” (h/t Bloody Elbow).
Gilbert Burns puts on a show at UFC 273
At UFC 273, Gilbert Burns went in as a big underdog, having been written off by a good chunk of the community in one of the most highly anticipated bouts. Taking on the hype train of Khamzat Chimaev, the former title challenger proved the doubters wrong as he undeniably became the Chechen’s toughest test to date, in a narrowly fought contest that saw Chimaev take the win via unanimous decision.
Chimaev revealed that he got two more bonuses from Dana White after the event and expects to face Burns again at some point in the future. Burns feels like he did Chimaev a favor and is looking to get the rematch back down the line for its return. At a time when very few fighters were willing to take on Chimaev, who was ranked eleventh at the time, the second-ranked welterweight Burns came in to accept the challenge.
In a fight that Chimaev technically won, there were no losers as Burns’s stock has only gone up since the result. He’s become more of a fan favorite and gained a following in the process. A future fight with a big name like Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, or even Dustin Poirier could be on the horizon. Colby Covington may also be an option, but it’s unlikely given the promotion’s plans to match him up against Chimaev in a top contender fight.
Who would you like to see Gilbert Burns fight next?
Perhaps no fighter in MMA history had received so much hype as Khamzat Chimaev prior to UFC 273. Shrouded in an aura of invincibility, the 27-year-old had been attributed almost otherworldly powers by the UFC, the media, and fans alike. UFC President Dana White had lionized Khamzat as “the most special guy that I’ve ever…
Perhaps no fighter in MMA history had received so much hype as Khamzat Chimaev prior to UFC 273. Shrouded in an aura of invincibility, the 27-year-old had been attributed almost otherworldly powers by the UFC, the media, and fans alike.
UFC President Dana White had lionized Khamzat as “the most special guy that I’ve ever come across.” Pundits gushed over his fight statistics, breathlessly noting that he had been struck just once in four UFC fights. And for scores of fans, Chimaev was a blank canvas onto which they projected their wildest MMA fantasies, with many believing he would steamroll his way to becoming a two, even three-division champ.
Then, at UFC 273, he met Gilbert Burns. Written off as simply a speedbump on Khamzat’s road to greatness, the Brazilian did things to Chimaev that most thought impossible. He resisted his takedowns. He smacked the Swede so hard his face almost rotated 180 degrees backwards. And he left “Borz” so battered and bruised that many believed he lost the fight.
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) April 11, 2022
The myth of Khamzat as an all-powerful being sent from above to smesh everyone was firmly destroyed that night. But contrary to the belief of some, and despite how sternly he was tested by Burns, Chimaev wasn’t exposed. Defeating the #2 ranked welterweight after just four UFC fights is a remarkable feat. And while he wasn’t exposed as a fighter, some of Khamzat’s flaws, however, certainly were.
“Chimaev, he’s impressive because he ended up winning, but I saw a lot of flaws today, and he’s kind of an emotional fighter,” Cejudo said on The Triple C & Schmo Show. “If you go back and watch the elite—a Demetrious Johnson—these guys, they know how to compete. It’s ok, you won the fight, but at the same time, hey dude, you’re starting to expose yourself. You don’t want to show that you’re able to take punishment, and I think that’s what he showed this fight.”
PHOTO: GETTY
And Triple C has a point. While there’s no question Chimaev possesses an otherworldly ability to eat a punch, the fact that we now know is cause for concern. His lack of head movement, coupled with his tendency to walk into punches, saw him sustain 119 significant strikes against Burns, including that brick of a right hand that almost put him out in the second round.
Were he to fight Kamaru Usman the same way—a man with a four-inch reach and power advantage over Burns—Khamzat would surely be in for a world of far greater pain.
Did Khamzat’s Lust For The KO Ruin His Plans?
Given his rapid ascent through the UFC ranks and the hype surrounding him, it’s easy to forget that Chimaev is still only 27 years old. Just four fights into his UFC career, and fighting for the first time before a packed US crowd, Chimaev was no doubt swept up in his big UFC 273 moment.
His coach, Andreas Michael, believes the expectation to deliver another highlight-reel finish caused his pupil to throw their gameplan out the window.
“He threw the game plan out because he promised everyone that he was going to knock him out,” Michael told ESPN. “Backstage, he told me that, ‘Oh, my God! It’s embarrassing. I promised that I was gonna knock him out.’ That was his only concern. So, he could have done a clinic.”
PHOTO: INSTAGRAM
In fact, Michael, who was heard expelling a lung while screaming at Khamzat between rounds, says his fighter could have finished Burns within two rounds had he stuck to the game plan.
“For me, it’s like, this fight, I was absolutely not satisfied,” continued Michael. “Because I think that an easy evening turned out—all he needed to do was just use his jab and sometimes throw the right hand. And I think we would have been done in two rounds. You know, just keep your distance; don’t fall into the shot, so you don’t get caught with the hooks.”
Can Chimaev Conquer Colby Covington Next?
Despite Khamzat’s training partners ritually attesting to his phenomenal conditioning, there were moments in the Burns fight when he certainly looked tired. And that’s something his likely next opponent, cardio king Colby Covington, could take advantage of in a five-round fight.
Otherwise, Chimaev does match up favorably to Covington. His wrestling, and the impressive takedown defense he exhibited against Burns, will provide a stern test for “Chaos.” It was notable, however, that while Khamzat was able to take Burns down, he wasn’t able to keep him there for long. Colby’s lack of KO power, particularly compared to Burns, is also in Chimaev’s favor. And the Swede’s heavy hands could pose a problem for Covington.
While the fight is yet to be made official, bookmakers already have Khamzat a -200 favorite against +170 underdog Covington. Perhaps if “Borz” reflects on the mistakes of his last fight, and vows to stick to his coach’s game plan, he could prove the bookmakers right.
@NateDiaz209 https://t.co/DBkgEjl6S2
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns expects to get a big fight next as promised by Dana White after his thrilling clash with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. After his exceptional performance against Khamzat Chimave at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns was awarded his win money in addition to the bonuses and show money. ‘Durinho’ put on […]
