Gilbert Burns offers to step in and fight Sean Strickland at middleweight on November 6
Gilbert Burns has expressed his desire to replace Luke Rockhold at UFC 268 and fight Sean Strickland in what would be his first middleweight bout.
Burns, who has mostly fought at welterweight throughout his UFC tenure, said he's willing to put on several more pounds to take on the No.7-ranked middleweight. On Twitter, 'Durinho' wrote:
"Middle weight nov 06? Sign me in I fight Strickland and I meant it"
Middle weight nov 06? Sign me in I fight Strickland and I meant it
Burns isn't the only one who's lining up to replace the former middleweight champ at UFC 268. Up-and-coming 185-pounder Brendan Allen has also volunteered his services. Shortly after Burns issued his challenge, Allen chimed in and told the Brazilian to "stay in your lane."
@GilbertDurinho Stay in ur lane durinho lol i got business to attend to
This comes after news broke that Rockhold was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout due to a back injury. It would have been Rockhold's return fight after being brutally knocked out by Jan Blachowicz in 2019.
Rockhold took to social media to announce that he was pulling out of his supposed comeback. On his Instagram stories, Rockhold said:
"There’s no easy way to really say it but the fight is off in New York. I ended up herniating a disc in my back, L4, L5, and the docs say it’s nothing I can play with. I need to do some treatment with some recovery time. Some things just aren’t meant to be. New York, motherf*cking New York. Sorry to the friends and the family and the peeps and all the people but we’ll be back. Till next time.”
Gilbert Burns invites Kevin Holland to the party
Gilbert Burns believes Kevin Holland is also a good replacement for Luke Rockhold. The former welterweight title challenger involved Holland in the discussion by telling him to take the opportunity.
Hey @Trailblaze2top where you at? twitter.com/mmafighting/st…
However, Holland might be an unlikely choice for Sean Strickland's replacement opponent. 'The Trailblazer' is expected to fight Kyle Daukaus in a rematch after their recent bout ended in a controversial no-contest.
Holland was choked out by Daukaus at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker. However, the submission victory was overturned into a no-contest as the finishing sequence was triggered by an accidental clash of heads. MMA Fighting reported that Holland vs. Daukaus 2 is set for November 13.