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Former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns has explained why he wasn’t impressed by Colby Covington’s performance at UFC 272. ‘Chaos’ out-grappled and outpointed friend-turned-foe Jorge Masvidal over the course of their five-round welterweight bout that headlined UFC 272 on March 5th.
The fight ended with Covington securing a dominant unanimous decision win, with the judges’ scorecards reading 49-46, 50-44, and 50-45, all in his favor. During an interview with Helen Yee for Helen Yee Sports, Gilbert Burns chimed in with his take on Covington’s victory over Masvidal. When asked whether anything in the Covington-Masvidal fight surprised him, Burns stated:
“A little bit, I think. The lack of preparation with Masvidal was real. Everyone could see that he wasn’t in there, I think. I bet on Masvidal. Like, I don’t like Colby, so I want my dog to win. But Colby went there and did what he did. Like, a lot of wrestling. He has a good pace, (but) I don’t think he is that crazy cardio king. But he has a good cardio.”
'Durinho' added, “But not a lot of damage, not a finishing ground and pound hurting. He don’t even cut the guy. He just wrestled. So, not impressed, but yeah, a good performance.”
‘Chaos’ parted ways with the ATT (American Top Team) gym and has been training at MMA Masters since 2020. He’s been at odds with several of his former ATT teammates, including Masvidal, over the past few years. Speaking of which, Covington has challenged his former ATT training partner Dustin Poirier to a fight next.
Watch Gilbert Burns’ conversation with Helen Yee in the video below:
Dana White on Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev being a number-one contender’s fight
During the UFC 272 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White revealed that the winner of the upcoming fight between Gilbert Burns and rising star Khamzat Chimaev will likely be awarded a UFC welterweight title shot.
"Makes sense" - Dana White said, responding to The Schmo at the UFC 272 post-fight press conference.
Burns currently holds the number-two spot in the official UFC welterweight rankings, whereas Chimaev is ranked number-eleven. ‘Durinho’ came up short in his bid to dethrone UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, losing via third-round TKO at UFC 258 in February 2021.
Regardless, Burns returned to his winning ways by defeating Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson via unanimous decision at UFC 264 in July 2021. Burns is now looking to become the first fighter to beat Russian-born Swedish grappling wizard Khamzat Chimaev, whom he will face in a welterweight bout at UFC 273 on April 9th.
