Gilbert Burns says Jack Della Maddalena has a ‘bright future’ in the UFC, but ‘Durinho’ isn’t giving up on becoming an undisputed world champion either.
Heading into the third round of his UFC 299 clash against Jack Della Maddalena, Gilbert Burns was winning on two of the three judge’s scorecards before the Australian was able to land a vicious knee to ground strikes, earning a comeback KO win in Miami.
Sharing his reaction to the Gilbert Burns YouTube channel, ‘Durinho’ hailed the skills and fighting spirit of JDM, revealing what left him disappointed with his performance at UFC 299 last weekend.
Gilbert Burns reacts to KO loss to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299
Despite winning both the first and second rounds on two of the judge’s scorecards, Burns found himself on the wrong end of a brutal knee from JDM for only the third KO/TKO loss of his professional career.
The fan-favorite Brazilian has now shared his thoughts on the fight via his official YouTube channel, in which he hailed the Australian for his never-say-die attitude and poker face after news came out of a broken arm in the opening round:
“First of all, shoutout to Jack Della Maddalena; what a tough one. I hit him with an elbow, with an overhand right, took this guy down many times and this guy still got a great TKO victory…I saw today on the news that he broke his arm, maybe the first or second kick that I threw, and the guy didn’t show it…So much respect, I’m a bigger fan now.”
Burns, who has himself enjoyed an illustrious career with the UFC since his promotional debut back in 2014, thinks that Jack Della Maddalena has a “bright future” as he chases welterweight gold.
So, what went wrong at UFC 299? Well, aside from the obvious, not much – Burns shared that his training camp went great and that he has “no excuses, not even one” for his performance.
“I felt great, I had a great camp, little injuries are normal but [they were] nothing too crazy. I had a great strategy but what I didn’t like about my performance was my defense and my footwork, he was making me worry about countershots…It made me hesitate a little bit.”
The Brazilian slumped to 22-7 with the loss to JDM but isn’t giving up on his dream to fight for an undisputed UFC world championship again:
“I’m 37 and I’m not getting any younger, but I do believe I have everything I need to become a champion…I’m still there, I’m still alive in the division I can beat so many guys. The dream is still alive, it’s not just a dream it’s my goal.”
The Rio de Janeiro native added that there’s lots more work still left to be done in his professional career but would be open to taking a grappling match next as he continues recovery.