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Gilbert Burns believes a win or two should get him closer to Welterweight title contention. On his way up, one of the names he wants to tick off his list is Tyron Woodley.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Burns shared his opinions on the former Champion and talked about a possible matchup with him.
Burns wants Woodley next
There were talks of Burns fighting Woodley for a brief period when the latter's UFC London bout with Leon Edwards fell apart, and the promotion retreated to the United States. But that did not materialize either, with UFC having to cancel the entire event along with two more, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Burns is keen on fighting Woodley next, but he thinks Woodley might try to avoid a contest with him. If that happens, he will go ahead and fight Michael Chiesa or Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson till he can get to Woodley.
"That’s who I want next, but probably he’s going to keep doing what he’s doing and keep ducking me... So if that guy don’t want to fight me, I’m available, I’m going to keep fighting. If (Michael) Chiesa is next, then Chiesa is next. If ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson is next, then he’s next. I’m going to keep beating these guys until I get to him. But I don’t know, I just have a feeling I’m fighting Tyron Woodley this year."
Woodley might want to fight Edwards again or engage with Colby Covington, both of whom can defeat him, Burns thinks. Not only is Woodley in his very late 30's, but his fighting abilities are also compromised because of his shifted attention towards the show business, said the Welterweight contender. However, Burns will definitely keep trying hard to make the fight happen.
"I think he might fight Leon Edwards again or fight Colby (Covington), that’s the fight that he wants, but I’m going to campaign for it so hard. That’s who I want next. I believe he’ll fight Leon Edwards or Colby and I believe both of these guys can beat Tyron Woodley. Tyron Woodley is almost 38, 39, if I’m not wrong. His whole ego has grown so much I can see right now the way he talks. He’s mixing the ego with confidence just being a rapper. I think he’s done, if he fights Leon Edwards or Colby, he’s going to lose, then I want him after my next fight.”
Burns is currently ranked sixth in the UFC Welterweight rankings and is yet to lose a fight in this weight class. His last outing went great with a stoppage of Demian Maia at UFC Brasilia. Although rankings do not fully determine the contender positions, Burns believes he is not far away from being in the discussion.
"I believe I’m one or two fights (away). Today is hard because we don’t control the rankings and the rankings don’t work all the way. But I think the performance says a lot.”
