Getty Colby Covington
Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington was called out by Gilbert Burns at UFC 283 on Saturday night.
“Durinho” walked to the Octagon during the pay-per-view featured bout in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was his first match since his epic war with Khamzat Chimaev in April 2022, and he wasted no time putting himself back into the win column.
Burns battled 170-pound veteran Neil Magny and he needed less than a round to tap out “The Haitian Sensation” with an arm-triangle choke. Burns spoke with UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier after the fact, and Durinho took the opportunity to challenge Covington.
“I want to be back very quick and I’m going to finish everybody,” Burns erupted. “Colby Covington, I’m coming for you!” Watch Burns’ callout below:
Covington hasn’t fought since his unanimous decision victory over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022 at UFC 272. Prior to that, “Chaos” fought Kamaru Usman for the welterweight strap at UFC 264 and lost via unanimous decision.
MMA World Reacts to Burns Starching Magny
Burns improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 21-5 after defeating Magny. UFC 283 also marked Durinho’s ninth submission win. Here are some reactions to Burns’ win from the MMA community.
“The MMA Hour” host Ariel Helwani pitched three fights for the 170-pound division, including the already scheduled Leon Edwards for Kamaru Usman trilogy, as well as Burns versus Belal Muhammad and Covington versus Chimaev.
Edwards-Usman 3
Covington-Chimaev
Burns-Muhammad
Those should be the next 3 top fights at 170.
“Morning Kombat” host Luke Thomas tweeted, “Gilbert Burns scores a first-round head and arm triangle. Honestly, that was easy work for Burns. Magny couldn’t stop his grappling once it got going.”
“About 10 or so years ago, mount in MMA was nearly a lost art,” he continued. “A lot of fighters avoided it even some with BJJ backgrounds. Mount is much more popular as place to both seek and with the skills to hold it. I get Burns has an elite BJJ history, but love seeing the mount matter.”
MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura tweeted: “Gilbert Burns calls out Colby Covington. I love that that matchup. Covington vs. Burns or Covington vs. Khamzat. Those are the fights.”
“Gilbert Burns did not absorb a single significant strike in that Neil Magny fight… almost Chimaev like,” CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri tweeted.
MMA podcaster and former UFC heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub wrote, “Colby x Burns next.”
“@GilbertDurinho is a damn problem,” former bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo tweeted.
Burns Is 6-2 Since Returning to the Welterweight Division
Burns moved back up to 170 pounds in 2019 after a stint at lightweight, and he’s been successful in six of his eight bouts. He notched a four-fight win streak upon his re-entry into the division, beating the likes of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and multiple-time UFC title challenger Demian Maia.
The win over Woodley earned Durinho a title shot against then-champion Kamaru Usman in February 2021. Unfortunately for Burns, he was unable to take “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” strap, losing the bout by third-round TKO.
Burns went on to bounce back against Stephen Thompson before his war with Chimaev which he lost by unanimous decision. Burns improved his professional record to 21-5 at UFC 283, once again cementing himself as a top-five welterweight.