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Chael Sonnen has suggested that Jorge Masvidal will likely be under more pressure than Gilbert Burns heading into their upcoming fight. Masvidal is scheduled to face Burns in a highly-anticipated welterweight bout that will serve as the co-headlining fight at UFC 287.
The UFC 287 event will take place at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida, USA, on April 8. In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen alluded to the fact that the Masvidal-Burns fight is booked to transpire in Masvidal's hometown of Miami.
The MMA fighter-turned-analyst further explained that Masvidal, who's of Cuban descent, lives and trains in Miami and chooses to represent it when he fights.
Chael Sonnen added that Gilbert Burns also lives and trains in Miami, Florida, but chooses to represent his native Brazil when he fights. Sonnen highlighted that Masvidal would be the hometown fighter at UFC 287, whereas Burns wouldn't.
'The Bad Guy' emphasized that there's no home-field advantage in MMA. He opined that despite being experienced at dealing with pressure, Masvidal would probably be under significantly more pressure fighting at home. Sonnen stated:
"There's no home-court advantage. It's home-field disadvantage in MMA. And that's where Miami comes into it."
Chael Sonnen insinuated that from a purely sporting perspective, a loss against Gilbert Burns would be nothing to be ashamed of for Jorge Masvidal. However, from a business perspective, 'Durinho' doesn't promote himself much and isn't perceived as a major star by the casual audience and a loss to him could dent Masvidal's star power. Sonnen said:
"Masvidal doesn't have to win this to not have egg on his face; of course, he doesn't. We know how tough Gilbert is. But Masvidal thinks he does [have to win], right? It's not us. It's not us that's putting pressure on Masvidal. He put it on himself. And that's just what happens when you fight at home. That same pressure he has, Gilbert doesn't have, even though Gilbert lives right here [in Miami, Florida]. It's different."
Check out Sonnen's comments at 3:21 and 5:54 in the video below:
Jorge Masvidal is at a crossroads in his MMA career ahead of UFC 287 fight against Gilbert Burns
The consensus in the MMA community is that Jorge Masvidal is in a must-win situation heading into his showdown against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. Masvidal, who's been hailed as one of the biggest stars in MMA in recent years, is on a three-fight losing streak. His last win came way back in November 2019.
Jorge Masvidal holds the No. 11 spot in the official UFC welterweight rankings, while Gilbert Burns is ranked No. 5. The matchup is being viewed as a crossroads fight for 'Gamebred.' That said, a victory over Burns could help him re-enter the top-five ranks and possibly earn a title shot against longtime rival and current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
