It was very disrespectful towards Gilbert Burns -Kamaru Usman on Khamzat Chimaev getting majority of media attention ahead of UFC 273
Kamaru Usman feels Gilbert Burns didn't get his fair share of media attention ahead of his clash against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. Usman believes it was disrespectful towards Burns considering the time and effort 'Durinho' has given to reach elite status.
According to Usman, the media attention was biased to the extent where Chimaev seemed to be the most important thing on the UFC 273 card. Additionally, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' believes Burns could have easily won the bout with a few minor adjustments. The 34-year old said in an interview with TMZ Sports:
"I think a lot of people were disrespecting Gilbert Burns....I think the way the media kind of portrayed the week to where he was almost the most talked about thing on that card, to where it was very disrespectful for a guy like Burns, who has put in the years, who has put in the time, has fought all these guys to get up here on the top of this division and now you're just kind of dismissing him. And I think to be honest with you, I think just minor tweaks from Burns, I think that fight was definitely very very winnable."
Watch Usman's interview with TMZ below:
Gilbert Burns claims he had demanded a five-round fight against Khamzat Chimaev
Gilbert Burns took on a no-win bout against N0.11-ranked surging contender Khamzat Chimaev. With the entire MMA community riding Chimaev's hype train, 'Borz' opened up a -450 favorite against the former title contender. However, the odds would drastically change on fight night as 'Durinho' proved to be the toughest test of Chimaev's career, as advertised. It was a battle for the ages which the Brazilian lost via a closely contested unanimous decision.
These two just left it ALL in the Octagon. What. A. Fight 🔥
[ #UFC273 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV: ufc.ac/38c71dW ] https://t.co/zTz9bbGVOf
Burns recently claimed that he originally asked for a full 25 minutes to test Chimaev to his limit. While it didn't materialize to reasons unknown to him, 'Durinho' has now called the Swede out for a rematch. The 35-year-old recently told MMA Fighting's Damon Martin:
"I asked [my manager] Ali [Abdelaziz] ‘hey, why three rounds?’ No, I’m fighting this guy.’ I’m giving him a courtesy. I’m the No. 2 [ranked] fighter, he’s No. 11. Give me five rounds. But it didn’t happen...I requested it and I requested it a couple of times, Ali [did], too. I don’t know if because of the two title fights maybe, I don’t know. I didn’t get an answer. The way I see it, we’ve got to do it again. It’s got to be five rounds next. A lot of respect to Khamzat."
Watch Burns' interview with MMA Fighting below: