Ahead of his return at UFC Vegas 106 this weekend, welterweight staple Gilbert Burns has revealed that he went against his manager’s wishes to score a massive grudge fight recently.
Burns, who has once challenged for Octagon spoils, fell short in a knockout defeat to former training partner Kamaru Usman in 2020, during an impressive surge to the top by the Brazilian.
And returning this weekend against the streaking Michael Morales, he will look to bring an end to a tenure-worst three-fight losing skid in the promotion. Last time, the Brazilian was bested over the course of five rounds in a decision loss to the number one-ranked Sean Brady in September 2024.
However, still a perennial fan favorite, Niteroi grappling veteran Burns initially seemed destined for another title charge before booking a particular pairing back in 2022.
And that fight in question is a co-main event clash with the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev. Ultimately suffering a hard-fought decision loss to the incoming UFC 319 headliner, Burns revealed this week that his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, insisted that he should not book the pairing at UFC 273.
“Ali (Abdelaziz) didn’t want the fight [against Khamzat Chimaev]. And then I say, ‘Bro, I want that fight’,” Burns told on the Pound-4-Pound podcast. “And then he says, ‘You crazy. I saw this guy train.’ I said, ‘I don’t care. I will fight this guy.’ The fight was never offered, but I already knew what I had to do to get another title shot.”
He added, “And then I was kind of talking to him about that fight. And then eventually Dana (White) offered the fight to me. Then he [said], ‘Bro, you sure you want to fight?’ … I was kind of pushing Ali out of the conversation. Then I want the fight. He says, ‘Oh, don’t talk to Ali.’ …That was a very tough training camp, bro. My lower back got stiff many times.”
However, following their pairing, which was a back-and-forth fight, Chimaev had a rather blunt message for his title rival, Burns.
Chimaev claims he made Burns ‘famous’
Set for his first promotional title fight this year, Chimaev returns in August. And challenging for middleweight spoils, the Chechen will headline UFC 319 in a long-anticipated pairing with Dricus du Plessis.
Chimaev, who added Burns to his winning run in the promotion in 2022, had most recently landed a devastating first-round submission over Robert Whittaker.
But in the immediate aftermath of his win over stalwart Burns, Chimaev claimed that without him, the average fan would not be familiar with the Brazilian.
“I made him [Burns] famous,” Chimaev told MMA Fighting. “The guy was nothing before me. I made him famous, and he lost the fight, he was more happy. I was angry after that fight — I won the fight. I was angry because I didn’t finish that guy. I don’t understand some guys become happy when they lost the fight.”
Now with the knowledge of his career-hardest fight to date coming against Burns, Chimaev will need to be at his level best to land his first Octagon crown against du Plessis.
