Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Scorecards

When Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 was first announced, fans were divided on the results of the bout. Many who jumped on the Chimaev hype train believed that the Chechen-born Swede would dominate the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, and possibly believed that he'd get a first-round finish.

MMA experts, on the other hand, were skeptical of the aforementioned opinion. Still, the bout was very intriguing. The fight was an absolute banger from start to finish with neither fighter backing down. In the end, "Borz" edged out a 28-29 unanimous decision victory over "Durinho."

The contest was scored by judges Troy Wincapaw, Christopher Lee, and Eric Colon. All three judges gave Chimaev a 10-9 score in the first and third rounds, while Burns won the second round with a 10-9 score.

What's interesting about the outcome of the fight is the fact that "Durinho" outstruck Chimaev in the fight with 119 significant strikes. "Borz" landed 108 significant strikes, but pushed the action in the last round. Both fighters dropped each other, with Chimaev dropping Burns in the first and the latter returning the favor in the second.

Khamzat Chimaev, however, had a 66% takedown success rate, landing two out of three attempted takedowns, while Burns attempted five takedowns with zero success. 'Borz' also had a ground control time of 2:23 minutes.

In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Chimaev tipped his hat to the Brazilian, saying:

"I f*****d up [the] fight, bro. I didn't know he was so tough. But the guy [has] come up [in] Brazil hard, you know. I know Brazilians, many guys [are] my brothers. Thank you for this fight, Gilbert. I love you, all respect. It was just [that] I [had to] do my work and make money, you know."

The fight was deemed Fight of the Night, and despite his loss, Dana White awarded Gilbert Burns with a win bonus.

---

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns at middleweight?

Khamzat Chimaev expressed an interest in a rematch with Gilbert Burns at middleweight, possibly at UFC 283. The Chechen-born Swede initially called out Alex Pereira following his win at UFC 281. However, he said that he would be willing to fight Burns instead, if not the Brazilian 185-lb champ.

Chimaev called out Burns in a reply to his comment on Instagram, saying the following:

"If Alex [is] not ready to be killed, let's go do it against in Brazil [at] 84 kg this time."

Gilbert Burns took to Twitter with the reply: 'Any weight.'

Considering their sizes, Khamzat Chimaev is a natural middleweight who cuts down to welterweight. Meanwhile, Burns, who previously fought at lightweight, will be the smaller fighter going into the bout. Burns would also have to pack on a few more pounds, which may affect his cardio as a result of carrying too much muscle.

On paper, this fight should favor Chimaev, but there's nothing stopping the bout from being an absolute banger like their first meeting.

YOU could be the NEXT FACE of Sportskeeda Wrestling. Click here to find out how!