"This is real??" - Gilbert Burns appears shocked as Bellator 286 pays biggest stars Patricio 'Pitbull' and A.J. Mckee $150k or less

In a recent tweet posted by Gilbert Burns, the UFC welterweight fighter appeared to be shocked by the payouts for Bellator superstars Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire and A.J. McKee for the recently concluded Bellator 286.

Patricio Freire reportedly made $150k while A.J. McKee made roughly $100k for their main and co-main event duties respectively.

Top fight purses at #Bellator286, per CSAC:

- Patricio Pitbull: $150,000
- Adam Borics: $100,000
- A.J. McKee: $100,000
- Spike Carlyle: $50,000
- Jeremy Kennedy: $110,000
- Aaron Pico: $100,000
- Juan Archuleta: $100,000
- Enrique Barzola: $31,000

More coming to @MMAFighting.

Freire and McKee have emerged as two of the biggest names in the organization, rising through the ranks of the talent-stacked featherweight division. The pair were involved in two sensational fights for the Bellator featherweight championship and hold one victory over each other.

While UFC fighters have claimed to bear the brunt of the UFC's unfair payment structure and policies, top-ranked welterweight contender Gilbert Burns was astounded when the top fight purses for Bellator 286 surfaced online.

Gilbert Burns took to Twitter and simply wrote:

"This is real??"

This is real?? 🫣🤦🏾‍♂️ twitter.com/shaunalshatti/…

When is Gilbert Burns' next fight?

Gilbert Burns' stock soared and popularity grew when he put on an incredible fight against undefeated welterweight sensation Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. While the Chechen-born Swede got the judges' nod by a razor-thin margin, 'Durinho' outstruck Chimaev according to some stats.

Those Khamzat Chimaev - Gilbert Burns strike totals were crazy close. #ufc273

• Burns outstruck 119-108 in total significant strikes.
• 3rd round razor thin 45-44 Burns in sig strikes https://t.co/GiMNHUbFKC

Chimaev had absorbed just one significant strike through four UFC appearances, a rare feat which was toppled by Burns. Even though he lost at UFC 273, the fight helped him garner some fan following. He capitalized on the opportunity to call out the division's biggest names, including Jorge Masvidal.

The Brazilian agreed to raise the stakes with a special 'no-takedown' stipulation, which was dismissed by Masvidal, who claimed that he wanted a proper mixed martial arts contest.

LFG #supernecessary
When you want to do this @GamebredFighter ??? twitter.com/MMAFighting/st…

Burns claimed in an interview with TMZ Sports that the fight has been verbally agreed and the UFC is working on finalizing a date:

"I spoke with Sean Shelby and they said that's a fight they want, you know, and I said, for sure, there's no plan B. UFC is just going to figure out pay-per-view in December or pay-per-view in January, but the fight is verbally accepted from him and me. I'm just waiting [for confirmation] if it's gonna be December 10 in Vegas or if he has the balls to go to Brazil."

Watch the interview below: