UFC 287: Gilbert Burns plans to make a loud statement against Jorge Masvidal
To say Gilbert Burns has an uphill climb to reach his goal is an understatement. He wants to put on such a great performance on Saturday when he fights Jorge Masvidal in the co-main event of UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida, that he'll become the next challenger for the welterweight title almost by acclamation.
UFC president Dana White has said former interim champion Colby Covington will get the next shot at champion Leon Edwards. Masvidal, who has a long-running beef with Edwards, hopes that by beating Burns, the UFC will buy the storyline of an Edwards-Masvidal title fight and give him the opportunity.
Belal Muhammad is desperate for that shot and is willing to fight anyone this side of heavyweight champion Jon Jones, it seems, to get that crack. Khamzat Chimaev, who has a win over Burns, is likely going to fight at middleweight, but he's ranked No. 3 at welterweight and hasn't publicly given up on the idea of fighting for that belt.
Below No. 5 Burns in the rankings is Shavkat Rakhmonov, who has been on a meteoric rise to the top and has accumulated a lot of fan support along the way. And there's always the specter of former featherweight/lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who is returning later this year to fight Michael Chandler and who has also expressed interest in fighting for the 170-pound belt.
Burns has no beef with anyone, like Masvidal has with Edwards or like Covington and Chimaev do with just about everyone. He ran into Covington recently and, well, it didn't go like many might have expected.
"I saw Colby and it was like always when there's not cameras around. He was super cool," Burns said. "He was even cooler than normal. He's a really nice guy when he's not doing his thing. He's a good guy and when I saw him, he was super respectful."
Covington, in addition to be an elite fighter, is a master at manipulating the public and building interest in what he's up to.
Burns is quite the opposite. He's an easy-going family fan who laughs often and easily, always has a good word and never seeks out trouble. He's the kind of guy who would pull over if he saw someone with a flat tire on the side of the road and help them change it.
He's proven himself repeatedly at the highest level of the sport, but he's come up short in his two biggest fights, against former champion and close friend Kamaru Usman and Chimaev.
He's coming off an impressive first-round submission in January over the always-tough Neil Magny and hopes to parlay that and another great performance on Saturday into a bout with Edwards for the title later this year.
"Dana says, 'Colby, Colby, Colby,' and I know Dana means what he says and he thinks about what he's going to say," Burns said, grinning. "But that doesn't mean that things can't change, or that Dana's mind can't be changed."
Burns is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the UFC. On paper, Burns' grappling is his one clear edge against Masvidal.
But he says he doesn't want to simply take Masvidal to the ground and submit him. Essentially, he says he wants to play Masvidal's game and win at that. He wants to stand with Masvidal and score an impressive knockout, hoping it's going to garner the attention of the media, the fans and, most importantly, White.
"Knowing how the division is, Dana having said Colby, all these guys chasing Leon, Conor being there, it puts pressure on me you know to really look good," Burns told Yahoo Sports. "That's OK. That's good for me the way I see it because it will make me perform to get what I want. Colby is coming off a win over Masvidal and he's getting a title shot. It was a good performance, but it was a decision. It was a dominant decision, but it was still a decision.
"If I go out there and get a beautiful finish, a spectacular finish over Masvidal, that's going to mean something. I want to put doubt out there. That's my goal, to put doubt in Dana's head and make him wonder if he is making the right call to give it to Colby. I want to perform at such a high-level, and I don't want nothing given to me, that Dana sees that I've earned the title shot. If Colby really gets it, it was given to him. Colby didn't earn it. For sure he talks a good game and everybody wants to watch him, and it will be a good fight if he fights Leon. But he did not earn it."
Burns knows the odds are against him in his quest to fight next for the title. And unlike some of his peers, he's not down on Covington.
Covington sells his fights, and his only losses in the last eight years were two very close ones to Usman. He's clearly built a case for himself. Burns wants to use the opportunity Saturday to build a better case.
"I don't blame Colby and I'm not hating on Colby," Burns said. "He talks good and people kind of like it. He's doing his thing and he's doing a good job. So me, I have to go out there and beat Masvidal in such a way that everyone is going crazy. I want everyone saying to their friends, 'Wow, did you see what Gilbert did the other day?' If I do that, I might be able to put the doubt in Dana's mind and change things."
