Getty Jorge Masvidal & Colby Covington
No. 4-ranked UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns has continued his campaign to battle Jorge Masvidal. And now he’s pledging to not take down “Gamebred” if they fight.
In fact, Burns told MMA Fighting in a recent interview that he’d sign a contract barring him from taking the fight to the Octagon’s canvas.
“I can sign the contract — no takedowns,” Burns said via the outlet. “Let’s just do it. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to putting on a show. Another crazy fight and another crazy finish and I do believe I can strike with Jorge Masvidal.
“Once again, I’ve got a lot of respect for the guy. I think he’s very tough, he’s one of the BMF’s, over 50 fights, but I still believe I can knock him out.”
“Durinho” is a few months removed from his UFC 273 thriller with Khamzat Chimaev, and he’s firmly set his eyes on Masvidal. Gamebred has also shown interest in fighting Burns as well.
After Masvidal’s loss to Colby Covington in March at UFC 272, he told Logan Paul that he needs to work on his wrestling. Burns is a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and has utilized his powerful ground game to stifle strikers like Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. So, it wouldn’t shock fight fans to see Durinho successfully take down and control Masvidal as well.
Burns Said Masvidal Is the Fight That ‘Makes Sense’
Burns still has hopes of one day hoisting UFC gold, and even though the loss to Chimaev has momentarily derailed his title aspirations, a win against Masvidal would put him back on track.
And according to Burns, fighting the UFC superstar “makes sense.”
“For me, what would make sense for me, is Jorge Masvidal,” Burns said. “Like I said multiple times, the guy’s got over 50 fights. Crazy knockouts. Remember the Ben Askren one, remember the Darren Till one. The guy just beat Nate Diaz. That’s the fight that I want.
“He’s coming from two losses, but that’s to Kamaru Usman, the pound-for-pound champion, and Colby Covington, No. 1 [ranked welterweight]. That’s the fight that I want. It’s the fight that makes sense. That’s the one that’s going to get me going, motivate me, and I still believe I can beat the guy. That’s the fight that I want next, Jorge Masvidal.
Burns Want to Have More UFC Mores, Loves the Support From His Fans
Burns’ fight with Chimaev is still in the conversation for “Fight of the Year.” It was an all-out brawl, with both men battering and bruising the other over the course of three rounds.
And Durinho wants to participate in more epic Octagon clashes.
“To be honest, to be who I am, I want a little bit more juice I got from the last fight,” Burns said. “A lot of love and support from the fans and I kind of fell in love with that. I always want to fight like that. I told my coach a couple times, I want to fight like [Michael] Chandler, like Justin Gaethje, I want to fight like that. I love the way it was the last time.
“For sure, I want the win but I like the love and the support from the community. I want that back. I want to fight with Masvidal and I want to go to war with him. I’m not looking for an easy fight. I felt both medicines. I felt holding down ‘Wonderboy’ [Stephen Thompson] and getting all the hate with the win and losing to Khamzat, having that war and getting all the love. I want that back. I want a war with Jorge Masvidal.
“He wants it, I want it, why not? Especially if they come to South Florida? That’s sold out right there. All the Brazilians against the Cubans, it’s going to be a crazy one.”