Gilbert Burns is laying down a challenge to all grapplers in the UFC’s 170-pound division: take me down if you dare. At UFC 258, Gilbert Burns will challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight championship. Usman’s greatest weapon over the years has bee…
Gilbert Burns is laying down a challenge to all grapplers in the UFC’s 170-pound division: take me down if you dare. At UFC 258, Gilbert Burns will challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight championship. Usman’s greatest weapon over the years has been his ability to seemingly take opponents down at will and outwrestle anyone he […]
Uriah Hall picked up a very significant win in his middleweight career when he defeated the legendary Anderson Silva. His new history with Silva, has him facing someone Silva lost to twice in Hall’s upcoming bout against Chris Weidman at UFC 258. With …
Uriah Hall picked up a very significant win in his middleweight career when he defeated the legendary Anderson Silva. His new history with Silva, has him facing someone Silva lost to twice in Hall’s upcoming bout against Chris Weidman at UFC 258. With the emotional victory over the legendary Silva behind him, Hall is preparing […]
UFC 258 title challenger Gilbert Burns is applying knowledge picked up from his past training sessions with the champion, Kamaru Usman. Gilbert Burns has been confirmed as the next challenger for Kamaru Usman’s welterweight championship. Burns earned t…
UFC 258 title challenger Gilbert Burns is applying knowledge picked up from his past training sessions with the champion, Kamaru Usman. Gilbert Burns has been confirmed as the next challenger for Kamaru Usman’s welterweight championship. Burns earned this honor by going 4-0 since entering the welterweight division, including a dominant shutout victory over former champion […]
Gilbert Burns was unsure if he’d get the next welterweight title shot. Burns is currently set to take on welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 on February 13 after it was recently reported again that both fighters had verbally agreed to the fight. Of course, Burns was set to face Usman back at UFC […]
Gilbert Burns was unsure if he’d get the next welterweight title shot.
Burns is currently set to take on welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 on February 13 after it was recently reported again that both fighters had verbally agreed to the fight.
Of course, Burns was set to face Usman back at UFC 251 in July only for a positive COVID-19 test to rule him out of the fight with less than a week to go.
The title fight was expected to be rescheduled for December at UFC 256 only for it to be off again as Usman required more time before competing.
All these delays along with the rise of Khamzat Chimaev in the welterweight division who was set to face Leon Edwards next made Burns wary about whether he would get the next title shot.
Luckily for him, that will be the case after all.
“Thank God he closed this fight,” Burns told AG Fight (via BJ Penn). “They had already sent me that date, so it was a matter of the contract getting done, but now it is official. ‘Countdown’ has already come here to my home, so it’s guaranteed to happen.
“I was training a lot and afraid this fight would slip into the hands of Khamzat (Chimaev) or something would happen. I think (this delay) was more of a UFC move, I don’t know, you’re seeing it as much with (Jorge) Masvidal or Colby (Covington). I don’t know if it was something like that either. Now it is time to continue training and we are going to win this title.”
Burns was right to be fearful as it’s very clear the UFC is high on Chimaev and the promotion has been known to skip over contenders in the past. Fortunately, the same won’t happen to Burns who is more than deserving of the shot.
“Durinho” is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over former champion Tyron Woodley in May and is unbeaten in four since moving up to welterweight in 2019.
Do you think Burns will come out on top against Usman?
Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns will finally share the Octagon with one another. Usman was supposed to defend his welterweight title against Burns at UFC 251, but the challenger tested positive for COVID-19. They were then supposed to fight at UFC 256 b…
Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns will finally share the Octagon with one another. Usman was supposed to defend his welterweight title against Burns at UFC 251, but the challenger tested positive for COVID-19. They were then supposed to fight at UFC 256 but Usman needed more time and the fight was delayed again. Now, according […]
Ahead of his February welterweight title challenge at UFC 248, streaking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout, Gilbert ‘Durinho’ Burns has had some complimentary words for UFC 257 headliner, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor — praising the grappling prowess of the Straight Blast Gym striker. Burns hopes to finally stand opposite reigning division leader, Kamaru ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Usman […]
Ahead of his February welterweight title challenge at UFC 248, streaking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout, Gilbert ‘Durinho’ Burns has had some complimentary words for UFC 257 headliner, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor — praising the grappling prowess of the Straight Blast Gym striker.
Since his return to welterweight back in August of 2019, Sanford MMA mainstay, Burns has won four on the trot, extending his overall undefeated to run to six-fights. The Brazilian headlined his first UFC event in May at UFC Vegas where he took home a dominant unanimous decision win and the division’s number-one contender status against former champion, Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley. The victory followed a March knockout win over compatriot, Demian Maia in Brasilia.
Slated for a February matchup with Usman, a month following McGregor’s set comeback against former opponent and interim lightweight titleholder, Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier, Burns touched on the former’s grappling ability, claiming the Dubliner is “very underrated“ in that aspect of his overall skillset — pointing to McGregor’s opening-round sweep over two-time foe, Nate Diaz during their UFC 196 matchup in 2016 as a clear sign of his overlooked ability.
“He’s (Conor McGregor) good,” Burns said. “People think he’s very bad, but he’s very good. People don’t remember he swept Nate Diaz in their first fight. I think he’s very underrated. People say, ‘All you have to do is take him down.’ First of all, when the guy controls the distance like Conor (McGregor), it’s not easy to take the guy down.“
“Another thing that people don’t realise is those guys that kick a lot, they develop a lot power in their hips. So those hips are very flexible and very strong. It’s that type of flexibility and strength that is the same one that you use to defend the takedowns. The point is, Conor’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not bad. People underestimate that, but he is a good grappler the way I see. For sure, he’s not a grappler. It’s not a natural thing. It’s not his natural thing, but for sure he’s put a lot of focus on that.” (H/T Middleeasy)
Burns, under Rafael Barros, is a second-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, scoring eight of his fourteen career finishes via submission. An ADCC bronze medalist back in 2015 in his native Brazil, Burns has scored a whopping four world championship wins in both World and World No-Gi competition.
Gilbert Burns was unsure if he’d get the next welterweight title shot. Burns is currently set to take on welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 on February 13 after it was recently reported again that both fighters had verbally agreed to the fight. Of course, Burns was set to face Usman back at UFC […]
Ahead of his February welterweight title challenge at UFC 248, streaking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout, Gilbert ‘Durinho’ Burns has had some complimentary words for UFC 257 headliner, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor — praising the grappling prowess of the Straight Blast Gym striker. Burns hopes to finally stand opposite reigning division leader, Kamaru ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Usman […]