"Colby Covington is the number one guy" - Gilbert Burns clarifies who he wants to fight after UFC 258 loss
Gilbert Burns has made it clear that he wants to return to the Octagon as soon as he can after his recent loss to Kamaru Usman. For his next opponent, Durinho wants to face Colby Covington, but remains open to fighting the likes of Stephen Thompson and Michael Chiesa.
At UFC 258, Gilbert Burns was unable to beat former teammate Kamaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship. Despite having rocked The Nigerian Nightmare early on in the first round, Usman rallied a comeback and finished Burns via TKO in the third round of the fight.
In an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto just after his loss to Usman, Gilbert Burns claimed that he would like to play it smart and safe, and get back into the Octagon as soon as possible.
"As soon as I can, like for sure, being smart and being as safe as I can. I cannot 'Okay let me get back next week', no, I can't. I got 45 days of suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission, I'm seeing my doctor, Dr. Reeves from Stamford MMA on March 1st and hoping to get clear but I never know."
Gilbert Burns added that he will be ready to return to the Octagon by May or June, and wants to be right back in the mix with the top guys in the division. The Brazilian also believes that a fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington should've been for the #1 contender spot, but understands the business standpoint of Chaos' decision to not fight Rocky.
"I believe I'll be ready to come back May or June and I want to be right back in the mix, you know and then I know a lot of talks, a lot of things are going on in the division right now. At the day that I fought, I thought next #1 contender would be Leon Edwards against Colby Covington and that fight just not happen, how crazy it is? That's clear #1 contender, now Kamaru's fighting Jorge Masvidal, then Colby doesn't wanna fight Leon. Sometimes you just gotta shut up and fight, like you guys are fighters."
Gilbert Burns made it clear that a fight against Colby Covington will be his number one priority. Durinho also remains open to fighting either Stephen Thompson or Michael Chiesa.
"For me, I got Wonderboy right there, I got Colby Covington right there. Colby Covington is the number one guy, if you ask me 'Gilbert, who you want?' I would say Colby but Wonderboy makes sense, Michael Chiesa makes sense."
Who could Gilbert Burns fight next?
Gilbert Burns is expected to make his return to the Octagon within the space of a few months, once he is cleared to compete. He could end up fighting either Colby Covington or Wonderboy, but realistically, the chances of a fight against Michael Chiesa are high.