With Kamaru Usman losing his title to Leon Edwards, there’s the potential for a couple of former contenders to force their way back into the hunt. Calling back to his infamous ‘3-piece & a soda’ incident, Jorge Masvidal is already trying to drum up interest in a fight with Rocky. But ‘Gamebred’ isn’t the only man to lose to Usman who might find a path back to gold.
Gilbert Burns dropped his chance at the belt to the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ back in 2021. Although he’s currently fresh off a loss to rising star Khamzat Chimaev, he’s hunting for bookings with some of the division’s most notable names. That includes Masvidal, but also a potential “dream” fight with Colby Covington.
Unfortunately, at least from what Burns appears to have heard, it looks like ‘Chaos’ may not be back in the Octagon any time soon. In a recent interview with The AllStar, ‘Durinho’ revealed that the MMA Masters talent has apparently been struggling to recover from neck and jaw injuries.
“That would be a dream,” Burns said when asked about a fight with Covington. “The rumors [were] that he was very bad. He had a neck injury, the nerves were very bad — he lost a little bit of movement in his neck. He kinda broke his jaw again, he had surgery and the surgery didn’t go well. He’s still doing the PT (physical therapy), he’s not training. If everything goes okay, he’s only back in March — that’s what I heard. I don’t know if it’s true, but I [heard] from guys that know him. I think it’s true because he’s been quiet — he hasn’t said anything. I think he’s out until March next year.”
“Colby is always an option, you know. If you’re asking me what’s the best option for me, I’d say Masvisdal in December or January, and Colby next after that.”
While Burns may not have provided an explanation of Covington’s injuries, fans have to wonder if they’re related to an alleged assault the welterweight suffered outside a Miami restaurant back on March 22nd.
The attack was said to have been committed by former friend and training partner Jorge Masvidal, stemming from an ongoing feud between the two men. Masvidal was later arrested and charged with aggravated battery over the incident. He plead not guilty to charges against him, and was set to appear in court on August 29th pending a docket hearing on August 17th. No word yet if the case is still going to trial as planned.
Covington hasn’t competed in MMA since defeating Masvidal by unanimous decision back at UFC 272 on March 5th. That bout was the former NCAA DI All American’s first since losing a title fight rematch to Kamaru Usman in November of 2021. Burns was recently linked to a potential bout against Masvidal, targeted for either UFC 281 or UFC 282. Masvidal, however, brushed off the announcement, telling fans “don’t believe anything anyone says about me unless you hear it from me.”
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