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UFC welterweight title contender Gilbert Burns says he is still waiting to sign the contract for his fight against the division's champion Kamaru Usman. The title bout is touted to happen on February 13 at UFC 258. The location of the event is yet to be announced by the promotion.
The fight that will define if Usman can keep the UFC welterweight title for the third time has been postponed or canceled on three different occasions. Another title fight at UFC 258 will see Amanda Nunes, who is top of the pound-for-pound women's rankings, defending one of the two titles that she currently holds against UFC featherweight Megan Anderson.
The first time the UFC set Burns vs. Usman to face each other in the octagon was back in July, but Burns tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the fight. Jorge Masvidal replaced Burns and was defeated via unanimous decision by the champion, Usman.
The UFC rescheduled the bout's date to December 12, but Usman suffered an undisclosed injury and asked for more time to prepare. The promotion decided to make the UFC welterweight dispute happen on January 23 before ultimately changing it again to February 13.
"The Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns UFC welterweight title is off on December 12, per sources. It doesn't have a new date at the moment, but current talk is January of February. Usman needs a little more time. No new main event yet for UFC 256," reported ESPN's Ariel Helwani at the time.
Burns said that he is still waiting on a contract. However, the best ranked UFC welterweight contender is confident that it is in Dana White and the UFC's interest to make the fight happen.
"First, they postponed the fight to January 23... Wow, okay, no problem. I can keep working, keep getting better. And then they change it again to February 13. I still haven't seen the contract. But I'm looking forward to it. I got a word from Dana and the UFC that they are also looking forward to it. So, now I'm only waiting on the contract and getting better meanwhile," said Burns in an interview with Korean media.
Burns had two fights this year, winning both. The first, against Demian Maia, came via knockout, and the most recent against Tyron Woodley was a unanimous decision by the judges. Burns has fought in the UFC welterweight division since 2014.
UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns was a Jiu-Jitsu World Champion before joining the UFC
An expert at grappling, the Brazilian UFC welterweight is a three-time Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and World Cup gold medalist. Two other Brazilians, UFC light heavyweight Ronaldo' Jacare' Souza, and former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, are other notable UFC fighters to have finished at the top of these grappling tournaments before joining the promotion.
B.J. Penn, a former UFC welterweight champion, was the first American gold medalist of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. He also made history in the UFC, being the second fighter to win two different divisions.
