"Nate beat you, I'll bury you" - Gilbert Burns sparks war of words with Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards (left); Gilbert Burns (right)

Gilbert Burns isn't holding back from firing shots at anyone, be it Leon Edwards or Nate Diaz. After coming up short in his welterweight title fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 258, Burns vowed to earn another shot at the belt and become champion.

‘Durinho’ is presently engaged in a war of words against Leon Edwards. The Brazilian appears to have initiated the latest online clash. Gilbert Burns tweeted a video suggesting that Leon Edwards ought to win another fight before receiving a UFC welterweight title shot. This led to a Twitter war as both men traded barbs, with Burns doing most of the talking.

Their series of tweets has been displayed below:

🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️👀👀 @Leon_edwardsmma ?? pic.twitter.com/gWNz0GL7Vc
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) August 9, 2021

You should fight Luque. You already snake one of your friends from the gym what’s another one to you
— Leon 'Rocky' Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) August 9, 2021

“I WANT TO FIGHT YOU, PUT UP OR SHUT UP, DONT TRY TO DUCK THIS SMOKE….BRUMMIE CUNT” https://t.co/vXDMTqm9D8
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) August 9, 2021

“Your best win is Nate Diaz who is unranked and the last time he beat a true WW is….NEVER, you are on a 9 fight win streak and nobody gives a shit about you. I’ve beat legends in Woodley, Maia and WB…come get this smoke…BRUMMIE CUNT” pic.twitter.com/l1xAl6Lcds
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) August 9, 2021

“Nate beat you, I’ll bury you” pic.twitter.com/X0L1aHduv3
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) August 9, 2021

COUPLE FACTS you had 8 weeks to fight Gunnar, I had 8 days. He mounted you and you held on for life. I beat up Gunnar in his country….fight me BRUNMIE CUNT lol pic.twitter.com/8bSTs1oeg3
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) August 9, 2021

Well I got a title shot, you don’t have one and Dana said you need one more fight. I’m ranked higher than you, fight me. I dare you

“Handsome bastard” https://t.co/wDo7bKHTMr
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) August 9, 2021

Truth of the matter is that I am helping you. If you don’t fight you will get skipped AGAIN. They are going to take you out of the rankings AGAIN Sitting out won’t help and @GamebredFighter isn’t going to fight you because he is still sleeping
BRUNMIE CUNT lol 😂 pic.twitter.com/bqGATRhqoD
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) August 9, 2021

Gilbert Burns jibes at Leon Edwards with a rankings incident from the past

Leon Edwards was riding high on an eight-fight win streak back in 2019. His last fight was a dominant unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards in July 2019. Unfortunately, the UK MMA stalwart was subsequently unable to compete due to COVID-related travel restrictions.

About 425 days after his fight with RDA, Leon Edwards was removed from the official UFC welterweight rankings due to inactivity. This happened on October 22, 2020. However, Edwards was reinstated in the rankings the very next day. The UFC announced that 'Rocky' would return in another main event spot against 2020’s breakout star Khamzat Chimaev.

Unfortunately, Leon Edwards’ scheduled fight against Khamzat Chimaev fell apart on three separate occasions through late 2020 and early 2021.

Edwards finally returned earlier this year. Edwards has competed twice in 2021 – his fight against Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad in March ended in an NC (No Contest). His second fight witnessed him beat Nate Diaz via unanimous decision at UFC 263 in June.

The consensus in the MMA community is that Leon Edwards will likely fight Jorge Masvidal later this year. Alternatively, Edwards could fight the winner of the UFC 268 welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

Moreover, a fight between Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns seems unlikely but cannot be ruled out entirely in the ever-changing UFC welterweight landscape.