5 reasons why Khamzat Chimaev will smash Gilbert Burns at UFC 273

#4. Gilbert Burns has struggled with powerful wrestlers before

Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling skills may give Gilbert Burns major issues

Gilbert Burns is undoubtedly a fantastic grappler. Despite winning a number of his recent fights via strikes, his Brazilian jiu-jitsu game remains his bread and butter. In fact, when ‘Durinho’ debuted in the UFC back in 2014, he did so with a reputation as one of the best lighter-weight grapplers on the planet.

However, it’s notable that at times, Burns has struggled to deal with powerful wrestlers. Against Kamaru Usman, for instance, he was unable to implement his grappling due to Usman’s strong takedown defense and he struggled against Rashid Magomedov and Alex Oliveira in the same way.

In his 2016 loss to Michel Prazeres, meanwhile, ‘Durinho’ found himself taken down and smothered for the majority of the third round, something that led directly to his defeat via decision. Despite all of his jiu-jitsu skill, he couldn’t get anything going from his back.

Thus far in his run at welterweight, this hasn’t been a huge issue for him, but against a monstrous wrestler like Khamzat Chimaev, it might prove to be a major problem.

Essentially, there’s a chance that Burns may find himself taken down and, in turn, may well be unable to escape from underneath ‘Borz’, who possesses ruthless ground strikes as well as an excellent submission game.

Equally, if he finds himself outgunned standing, there’s a chance he won’t be able to take Chimaev down due to Chechen-born Swede's wrestling skills.

Either way, this looks like a bad match for ‘Durinho’ on paper and may well lead to him getting smashed just like Chimaev’s previous opponents.

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#3. Khamzat Chimaev has the ability to test Gilbert Burns’ chin

Khamzat Chimaev may have the punching power to test Gilbert Burns' chin

While the majority of Khamzat Chimaev’s success in the UFC thus far has come from his skills on the ground, he’s also proven himself to be a very dangerous striker.

‘Borz’ famously turned out the lights on Gerald Meerschaert in just 17 seconds in their clash in 2020, nailing him with a right hand that left him unconscious and slumped against the fence. It was a demonstration of truly terrifying striking power – the kind of thing a fighter can’t simply learn.

Gilbert Burns has undoubtedly come on in leaps and bounds with his striking over the years, most notably dropping Kamaru Usman in the first round of their welterweight title bout last March. However, can he really compete with Chimaev standing?

From a technical perspective, ‘Durinho’ will be hopeful of landing the cleaner strikes, but from a power perspective, he’ll have to be very careful. The fact is that unfortunately for him, his chin simply isn’t impervious.

Sure, Burns has only ever been stopped via strikes twice, once by Usman and once by Dan Hooker in 2018, but he’s also been hurt in a number of his fights, most notably being dropped badly by Rashid Magomedov in their 2015 clash.

Given the power that Chimaev has demonstrated before, there’s every chance that he can test Burns’ chin in this bout. If he can land cleanly, then he’s certainly got the ability to put the Brazilian away in violent fashion.