Loss to Khamzat Chimaev has forced Gilbert Burns to rethink fighting style
Khamzat Chimaev kept his unbeaten streak alive in a tightly fought contest against a tough opponent in Gilbert Burns. The thrilling fight took place at UFC 273 in April, with 'Borz' being awarded the UD victory.
Burns, however, was convinced that he should have had his hand raised at the end of the fight, and upon reflection, the Brazilian has decided to alter his fighting style.
'Durinho' and Chimaev both tested each other to the fullest, something none of Chechen's previous opponents could manage to do. Many felt that if the fight had been a five-round affair and not three rounds, Burns would have won due to Chimaev beginning to fade in the final round.
'Durinho' recently appeared on Michael Bisping's podcast, Believe You Me. Burns stated that he has revamped his training camp ahead of his fight against Neil Magny at UFC 283.
He said this:
"I'm at the point now where winning isn't enough. I need to get a finish. I'm putting in a lot of work to make sure January 21st I finish [Magny]. Not just a win, not a bulls**t decision. Not 'let's see what the judges think'. No, f**k that. No more. I never liked it, but after the last one [against Khamzat Chimaev] even more. I don't want to depend on the judges."
Watch the interview below from 14:15:
Jared Cannonier thinks Khamzat Chimaev needs to fight his way to a UFC middleweight title shot
Alex Pereira is the new UFC middleweight champion following his TKO victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. 'Poatan' may be the current champion, but his lack of total MMA experience has several UFC fighters eager to face him.
Pereira has eight professional MMA fights, and while he may be one of the best strikers in the sport right now, his grappling leaves much to be desired.
His lack of knowledge on the ground has Khamzat Chimaev excited, as 'Borz' now sees an 'easy path' to UFC gold.
Following Pereira's win over Adesanyal, Chimaev took to Twitter to call out the Brazilian. He said this:
"Let me fight with this guy, 1 road finish him."
See the tweet below:
🏼Let me fight with this guy, 1 road finish him ⚔️✊🏼
Khamzat Chimaev is not currently ranked in the middleweight division but has competed at 185 pounds several times in the UFC.
But #3-ranked UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier believes that if 'Borz' wants a title fight with Pereira, he needs to fight his way to the top of the division.
Cannonier was recently interviewed by Helen Yee, and he said this:
"I feel that you should definitely fight your way to the top... Personally, if he wants to get up there he needs to go through at least somebody in the top 10."
Watch the interview below from 5:00: