Khamzat took 1 strike in 4 fights, I hit him with 119 - Gilbert Burns on taking inspiration from Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler's slugfest
Gilbert Burns has revealed that he always wanted to have an iconic battle like Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler did at UFC 268 last year. 'Durinho' got exactly what he asked for when he faced Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 this past weekend.
While he came out on the short end of a close judges' decision, Burns believes his stock has soared after pushing Chimaev to the limit. The Brazilian also noted that he landed 119 significant strikes on 'Borz' after the Russian-born Swede absorbed just one significant strike in his four previous UFC outings.
Burns said in an interview with TMZ Sports:
"I show for these guys, he's not a monster, he's not unbeatable, he's not untouchable. He came to this fight, last four fights in the UFC taking one significant strike. On that fight he got 119, dropped multiple times, cut up. So yeah, that was the test I was looking for. To be honest, I look at Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler fight and I always wanted to be one of these guys."
Watch Gilbert Burns' interview with TMZ Sports below:
Gaethje and Chandler fought in a similar all-out war at UFC 268 in November last year. Gaethje reeled in a close decision in what was later awarded the 'Fight of the Year' for 2021.
Gilbert Burns eyes rematch with Khamzat Chimaev down the line; isn't concerned with the rankings
Gilbert Burns was riding a stellar six-fight winning streak which was snapped by a title loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 last year. He bounced back with a dominant decision win over Stephen Thompson before losing to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273.
While he has demanded a rematch against Chimaev, Burns is aware that he will need to return to winning ways before running it back with 'Borz'. He further told TMZ Sports:
"I believe it was super close. I don't wanna take nothing away from Khamzat, he was a warrior in that [cage]. I just believe we're not done. We got to do this again. I was No.2 in the world and I fought No.11. I accepted the challenge but I asked the UFC to do five rounds. It ended up being three rounds."
After his loss to Chimaev, Burns dropped to the No.4 spot in the newly updated UFC rankings. However, he isn't concerned about the drop, as is evident in a recent tweet.
"Where I’m landing in the rankings tomorrow? To be honest I don’t care. Just wants to see if they will courage the guys to do that, or if they will do opposite [emoji] Happy Monday! Fight against the odds and make your mark! They at least will respect you! Do it today!"
Where I’m landing in the rankings tomorrow? To be honest I don’t care. Just wants to see if they will courage the guys to do that, or if they will do opposite 🤷🏾♂️
Happy Monday! Fight against the odds and make your mark! They at least will respect you! Do it today! https://t.co/OFpTm4d9bF