"He's right there, top five" - Gilbert Burns compares Khamzat Chimaev to his toughest opponents
Gilbert Burns is showing Khamzat Chimaev a lot of respect leading into their UFC 273 fight on April 9. Burns is the No.2-ranked fighter in the UFC's welterweight division while Chimaev sits down at No.11. Many fighters in Burns' position wouldn't have agreed to fight someone so far below them. Not only is Burns happy to give Chimaev the opportunity to jump up the rankings, he's treating 'Borz' like a legit challenger.
Asked during UFC 273 media day if Chimaev was one of his toughest opponents, Burns said:
"He's right there, top five. I don't think he's number one. I think Kamaru Usman proved many times he's the number one. And yeah, got a couple other tough guys. Stephen Thompson. [Demian] Maia in Brazil. I think he's in the top five of my toughest opponents, but ... we shall see. I don't know. I'm going to answer this Saturday after the fight."
Khamzat Chimaev didn't put the same level of respect on Gilbert Burns' name. When asked if Burns would be his toughest opponent, Chimaev said his toughest opponent was a man he fought back in 2019 named Ikram Aliskerov.
Throwback to Khamzat Chimaev’s insane knockout https://t.co/leT3lza6vR
Burns shrugged the slight off, saying:
"It is what it is. Whatever he want to say, that's it. Yeah"
Watch Gilbert Burns' full UFC 273 media day interview below:
Gilbert Burns has been training extra hard to prepare for Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev is notorious in his gym for training endlessly. Where many pro fighters split their training up into two or three sessions, Chimaev is known for doing five or six sessions. Recent footage from Florida showed Chimaev waking up at midnight to do another cardio workout.
Khamzat Chimaev midnight training and channelling his inner Muhammad Ali. Feel like we are watching greatness unfold. The whole welterweight division is screwed. #UFC273 #UFC https://t.co/MTVTCeeoyb
Gilbert Burns has also stepped things up in his camp to prepare for the pace and intensity that Chimaev brings. During his UFC 273 media interview, he said:
"This one, brother. This one was hard, bro. Because all the things, everybody was pushing me hard, extra, giving me rounds, freaking going through sparring, shark tank, this guy one minute then another guy one minute then another guy. So I believe I'm in very good shape right now. But yeah, that training was tough, bro."
One edge that Burns has over Chimaev is experience. Burns has more than twice as many MMA fights and a ton more minutes in the cage. Chimaev has never fought past the second round in the UFC. Burns has fought a full 15 minutes seven times in the UFC and has gone five rounds once.
Take a look inside Burns' training camp with this video from MMA Junkie: