UFC video: Gilbert Burns 1-on-1 with Kevin Iole
Gilbert Burns joins Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole to discuss his upcoming welterweight bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273.
Video Transcript
KEVIN IOLE: Hey, everybody. I am Kevin Iole. Welcome to Yahoo! Sports and UFC 273 on Saturday. What a card it. Is loaded-- two title fights at the top, and the main non-title fight is what I'm going to talk about now. My guest is Gilbert Burns, the former welterweight title challenger, one of the best fighters in the world. And he has got his hands full. Gilbert, you and Khamzat Chimaev-- this is a fight a lot of people are talking about. They want to see if this guy is the real deal. I know you can show us whether he's real or not. GILBERT BURNS: Yeah, a lot a lot of questions will be answered April 9. We'll see. I think he's very, very tough. A lot of respect to the guy. His been finishing the competition, like, very good, you know? He been making statements every time that he step in the octagon. But now we level up, you know? Now, we're going to the top two in the world, and we'll see. We'll see if the guy is going to become a Conor McGregor, or is going to be like [INAUDIBLE]. We'll see. KEVIN IOLE: What blew me away-- and I don't like to talk to you guys about betting too much on this. But how big of a favorite he is over you. I mean, he is a 6 to 1 favorite. So I was sitting-- I'll be honest with you, when I had to make a pick on the fight, I'm like, I'm not sure who I'm going to take. Then I see the odds. I go, I'm taking Gilbert Burns. I know that's how that's going. Does that bother you? Do you think-- does that kick at your pride to hear you're such a big underdog? GILBERT BURNS: No way, never. For sure, not going to bother me. Let's just get all my fans in there, all my supporters, and put the house on it, and let's make five houses. Just like, let's get rich, everybody. So I'm excited. I like it. You know, I've been underdog in my last four, five fights. And I don't mind. It's just like-- I think it's the same thing with Glover Teixeira, Charles Oliveira. So yeah, a lot of case. I don't-- To be honest with you, I think, back in the day, used to kind of bother me a little bit, but now, it don't make no change, no. KEVIN IOLE: Darren Stewart did an interview where he talked about-- he's never been hit harder or never felt somebody as strong as Khamzat Chimaev. Does that-- when you watch him, does that come across? Do you see that yourself, that, hey, this guy is a physically strong guy and a really hard puncher? I GILBERT BURNS: Heard about that. But who else that guy train-- a couple of things just go through my mind. I respect these guys, you know? I don't want to-- I don't want to put myself, like, criticizing those guys so much. But I grab a [INAUDIBLE] before [INAUDIBLE] and a lot of good things happened that training for me, you know? So-- and, you know, I trained with a lot of emotions, too. I just don't keep saying, you know. I trained with Anthony Rumble that did-- you remember what he did with [INAUDIBLE] so-- KEVIN IOLE: He can punch. Yep. GILBERT BURNS: That uppercut. You know, I've trained with a lot of great guys that have been in the sport for so long. I think the guy is very good. I do believe he should Chimaev is very tough, for sure-- top five, top 10 in the world, for sure. But-- [LAUGHS] So that was just funny. These guys say, this guy's a monster. He's a murderer. He might be. We're going to find out. On April 9, couple of questions going to be answered. But a lot of things that people say-- I'm doing a lot of interviews, and people always asking the size-- I just have one answer. As big as you are, as more weight you got to cut. So he's on the same-- he's on the same-- he said the same thing. KEVIN IOLE: You [INAUDIBLE] the other way, coming up, right? GILBERT BURNS: I know that. I know that. I've been there before. So if you're very big-- oh, Merry Christmas. You got a lot of weight. And that's no easy. That was hurting my performance a lot. So don't-- oh, he's very big. Bernie used to be a 55. Whatever. I don't have to cut a lot of weight. I'm very strong on my thinking that [INAUDIBLE] high-level grappling, heavy hand, so it is what it is. We're going to fight. I asked for this fight, and I'm excited. KEVIN IOLE: I don't think there's too many fighters out there that would want to take you down and grapple with you. I mean, your grappling is at next level, right? He might be that one guy, though. So do you expect him to try that? Or what do you think? GILBERT BURNS: I hope, you know? And-- but I anticipated we striking, we grappling, and we're wrestling. He's not going to be only one way, not going to be a fricking kickboxer. I can guarantee you that. He's not going to be a kickboxing amateur you battle win, when the grappler's fighting, you know? He's going to be [INAUDIBLE]. We're going to grapple and wrestle, for sure. And I hope he's that guy that going to try to take me down with and grapple with me. That's my hope. KEVIN IOLE: That would be something else. Now, you know, I think you showed something in your last fight against Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. You know, this is a guy that-- not a lot of people thought you were going to be taken down and putting him on his back and, you know-- who, historically over his career, nobody had been able to do that to him. And my thought is-- or my question for you is, Gilbert, did that come, like, as a result of what you learned from the Usman fight? Did that make you even more determined to show what you can do? I mean, because that was one of your better performances, I thought, in your career, against a really high-level guy who's not easy to take down. Did you feel like, after the disappointment of the fight with Kamaru, that led you to another level in your career? GILBERT BURNS: I believe so. That loss-- to come out of it definitely, like, teached me a lot of lessons. And the discipline, using my strengths-- it's one thing that I've been doing a lot, you know? Like-- It's a little cliche, but we do have to, kind of-- my best-- my strengths have to be super sharp going to my fights. And-- yeah, that fight taught me a lot of lessons. And the Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson performance-- I don't think-- I agree. It wasn't the most exciting. But, as a game plan and execution, right? It was the best one. We-- I thought he's going to kind of scramble more and try to get up more, and I know he could. But why? If the guy's not doing a lot of damage, then why? I just think he-- he don't even give me a lot of credit. And I don't care. But he should scramble a little bit more, try to get back up on his feet more. But he did. And that's why the fight-- I was expecting that a little bit more. But, in terms of game plan, training camp, execution, that was my best performance because everything that I trained I delivered, so-- and the discipline, too. To be very disciplined with a guy like that, very dangerous strike-- just see a photoshoot or a photo. All his people supporting before me. Everybody had that-- the face masked up, you know? He's-- not me. But-- but I think in terms of game and planning and execution, the commodify taught me a lesson that I was able to execute in the "Wonderboy" Thompson camp, you know? That was a very-- I agree what you said. I think I was able-- I execute differently than my previous fight. KEVIN IOLE: I mean-- because let's be honest, you know? You're not going to win a straight kickboxing match with Stephen Thompson. He's one of the best kickboxers there is. So you put a game plan in there that was effective and played to your strengths. And you know, hey, if he didn't do that, it's kind of too bad on him, but you were really-- were really amazing that night. What do you think? Now, I know after you beat Thompson, you had discussed, you know-- I want the title shot, but it was almost a half-hearted thing that you said, right? I think you knew that probably wasn't going to happen. And Dana put an end to that pretty quickly at the post-fight press conference when he showed up. But do you think-- if you do what you think you're going to do to Chimaev, do you think that that puts you right there now? Because now, all of a sudden, you not only beat Stephen Thompson, but now you're going to come back and-- the other side of it. You're going to be this heavy-- you know, wrestling, grappling star type guy. Do you think that all of a sudden changes your positioning? GILBERT BURNS: I would love to say, yes, but I don't know. I think it's about a performance, you know? It's going to depend on my performance. If I go out there and get a spectacular finish, yes. I'm next. But if it goes to a split decision or not as entertaining as people thought, then I got to do one more fight. But I think, nowadays, everything is about a performance. If you go out there and do something like, oh! People had their mouth open and like, wow, yes, I have a shot. If not, one more fight, so-- and then-- and I'm not making no-- kind of not a lot of expectation on that. My expectation's going to be on April 9. Be there, present, and give my 100%, and we'll see after. But I believe that fight not-- doesn't go to a decision. That's what [INAUDIBLE]. If he's coming the way he's been coming his last couple of fights and if I show up the way I play-- I show up, he's going to be, like, a second-round finisher or something like that. I don't think-- KEVIN IOLE: OK. GILBERT BURNS: I don't think either one of us-- I don't know. I just see a finish on this fight. KEVIN IOLE: I'm going to finish this interview asking you a little bit of an off-the-wall question, which I don't even think is going to happen. But Kamaru keeps talking about this-- talking about fighting Canelo Álvarez in a boxing match, bringing you into this. If he does that, that puts the welterweight division on hold for a while, right? Does that concern you when you hear-- because that's a fight, to me, that-- MMA fighters aren't going to win that fight against the boxer. A boxer's not going to lose to an MMA fighter, generally, when there similar levels. So that doesn't do any good for the people chasing Kamaru, right? Because, A, you have to wait, and then, B, doesn't it make him lesser if he gets beat up, let's say, by Canelo Álvarez and then you go into a fight to fight him? He's not the same guy that he is now, where he's this monster destroying everybody. GILBERT BURNS: That is a good question. But to be honest, I like the payday for him. KEVIN IOLE: Of course. Yeah. GILBERT BURNS: Yeah, he going to change the guy's life, you know? So-- but I'm not chasing Kamaru. I'm chasing the title. So if-- let's put that-- OK, that's going to happen. He's fighting Canelo. End of the year or whatever, we're going to make an interim title, and I'm going for that. So I'm not-- to be honest, I trained with Kamaru of last week. He helped me out a couple times for this fight. And I don't have-- to be honest, I don't have that, I got to beat this guy. I don't have that no more. I'm at peace with that feeling. It took me a little while, but I did-- I did make a peace with that feeling. And, you know, I have two goals now in the UFC. I want to fight the best guys, and I want to become a champion. And whoever holds that belt-- I'm coming for it. And if he does lose to Leon or it goes to fight Canelo, good for him. I want the best for him. But I'm not chasing him. I'm chasing the title. And I think-- Khamzat-- once that blows in. If-- a lot of things happen-- you need to kind of think about that. It's a big problem rushing in front of me to take care, but I kind of see the scenarios a little bit. Maybe Leon beats me. And then Chulo [INAUDIBLE] then it's taking forever. Then whatever. I fight Colby. I fight another guy. I don't mind. But I'm thinking, though, on August, September, Nov-- I don't want to think it that far, you know? I'm trying to stay relaxed, sit down, make sure diet is in the control, training camp is in control, I'm sharp every single day. And I show up April 9 and perform my best-- that's the only thing. And then after that, we can talk-- then I'm going to start, OK, I think that's going to happen, this and that. But right now, I got a tough job to do. KEVIN IOLE: We know you're going to be ready for that one. That's going to be a hell of a fight, one I'm really going to look forward to on Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. Gilbert Burns, thank you so much. Good luck against Khamzat Chimaev. GILBERT BURNS: Thank you, Kev. Have a good one.
