"Nate beat you, I'll bury you" - Gilbert Burns sparks war of words with Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards (left); Gilbert Burns (right)
Leon Edwards (left); Gilbert Burns (right)

Gilbert Burns isn't holding back from firing shots at anyone, be it Leon Edwards or Nate Diaz. After coming up short in his welterweight title fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 258, Burns vowed to earn another shot at the belt and become champion.

‘Durinho’ is presently engaged in a war of words against Leon Edwards. The Brazilian appears to have initiated the latest online clash. Gilbert Burns tweeted a video suggesting that Leon Edwards ought to win another fight before receiving a UFC welterweight title shot. This led to a Twitter war as both men traded barbs, with Burns doing most of the talking.

Their series of tweets has been displayed below:


Gilbert Burns jibes at Leon Edwards with a rankings incident from the past

Nate Diaz (left); Leon Edwards (right)
Nate Diaz (left); Leon Edwards (right)

Leon Edwards was riding high on an eight-fight win streak back in 2019. His last fight was a dominant unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards in July 2019. Unfortunately, the UK MMA stalwart was subsequently unable to compete due to COVID-related travel restrictions.

About 425 days after his fight with RDA, Leon Edwards was removed from the official UFC welterweight rankings due to inactivity. This happened on October 22, 2020. However, Edwards was reinstated in the rankings the very next day. The UFC announced that 'Rocky' would return in another main event spot against 2020’s breakout star Khamzat Chimaev.

Unfortunately, Leon Edwards’ scheduled fight against Khamzat Chimaev fell apart on three separate occasions through late 2020 and early 2021.

Edwards finally returned earlier this year. Edwards has competed twice in 2021 – his fight against Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad in March ended in an NC (No Contest). His second fight witnessed him beat Nate Diaz via unanimous decision at UFC 263 in June.

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The consensus in the MMA community is that Leon Edwards will likely fight Jorge Masvidal later this year. Alternatively, Edwards could fight the winner of the UFC 268 welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

Moreover, a fight between Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns seems unlikely but cannot be ruled out entirely in the ever-changing UFC welterweight landscape.

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Edited by Avinash Tewari