Gilbert Burns is so confident in his striking ability that he is willing to fight Jorge Masvidal with a no takedowns clause included in the contract.
Burns is coming off a Fight of the Year candidate against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 and is looking to put on another exciting show for the fans in his next outing.
That’s why the Brazilian thinks it makes sense to fight Masvidal, the UFC ‘BMF’ champion, next.
“For me, what would make sense for me, is Jorge Masvidal,” Burns, who is looking to bounce back from his decision loss to Chimaev, told MMA Fighting in a recent interview. “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.
“He already showed a lot of interest in it, too. I think the UFC showed interest. I think that’s next. Just got to see when and I think we’re going to put on a hell of a show for everybody. I’m going to try to beat him up, he’s going to try to do the same, it’s going to be a crazy one.”
Burns explained why he would be willing to fight Masvidal in a striking battle despite possessing a clear advantage over ‘Gamebred’ on the ground.
“I can sign the contract — no takedowns,” Burns said. “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.”
Burns engaging in a stand-up war with an ex-street fighter like Masvidal might be a dangerous tactic on paper but ‘Durinho’ wants nothing more than to continue entertaining the fans and building his reputation as a BMF.
“To be honest, to be who I am, I want a little bit more juice I got from the last fight,” Burns admitted. “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.”
Don’t be too surprised if the UFC officially announces this matchup (with takedowns included) in the next few weeks.
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