Consistency on the entertainment front has made Shane Burgos a staple of the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division.
As Burgos makes final preparations in advance of his forthcoming battle with Jourdain at 145 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:
Charles Rosa
Burgos disposed of the American Top Team export with punches in the third round of their UFC 210 featherweight prelim on April 8, 2017 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The end came 1:59 into Round 3. Rosa maximized the weapons at his disposal but lacked the firepower necessary to give his opponent pause. He zeroed in on Burgos’ lower leg with repeated kicks and slipped out of danger when the fists flew. Rosa’s luck ran out early in the third round. Burgos hid a sweeping left hook behind a right uppercut, as he sent “Boston Strong” careening backward to the canvas. Rosa returned to his feet, only to be met by high-velocity punches. A straight right hand dropped him to a knee before Burgos connected with another left hook, the blows prompting referee Todd Anderson to act despite protests from the dazed Rosa.
Calvin Kattar
The Team Sityodtong product put away the previously unbeaten Burgos with punches in the third round of their UFC 220 featherweight showcase on Jan. 20, 2018 at TD Garden in Boston. Kattar slammed the door 32 seconds into Round 3. He set the pace with a punishing jab throughout the first round, oftentimes doubling up on the punch. Burgos was undeterred and answered with heavy punching combinations upstairs, brutal shots to the body and strong inside leg kicks. At the start of the third round, the tide appeared to be shifting in his favor. However, Kattar wobbled the Team Tiger Schulmann standout with a fight-altering right cross. He followed with a pair of crushing right uppercuts and trailed the fallen Burgos to the mat, where a burst of rights and lefts prompted the stoppage.
Cub Swanson
Burgos outstruck the World Extreme Cagefighting veteran to a contentious split decision in their UFC Fight Night 151 featherweight feature on May 4, 2019 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. Judges Eric Colon and Declan Woods struck 29-28 and 30-27 scorecards for Burgos, while David Therien saw it 30-27 for Swanson. Burgos kept the Rigan Machado-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt at bay with a punishing jab and crackling right hands, his efforts doing visible damage to his more experienced adversary. Swanson answered with sporadic kicks and punching combinations of his own, but he paid the price for allowing the once-beaten New York native to lead the dance. Burgos outlanded him by a narrow 134-129 margin in significant strikes.
Josh Emmett
The Team Alpha Male export stepped up his surge at 145 pounds and did so in scintillating fashion when he took a unanimous verdict from the hyperaggressive Burgos in a UFC on ESPN 11 co-main event that provided non-stop action from start to finish on June 20, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Emmett swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27 marks from the cageside judiciary. He suffered a knee injury—it was later determined that he sustained a torn ACL—in the first round, put the pain aside and relied on sweeping hooks from both hands to keep the New York native at a safe distance. Emmett left his imprint on the match in the third round, where he twice floored Burgos with left hands, the second knockdown nearly leading to a finish.
Edson Barboza
The former Ring of Combat champion cut down Burgos with punches in the third round of their featured UFC 262 attraction on May 15, 2021 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Barboza brought it to a close 1:16 into Round 3, where he authored his first finish in more than two years. A back-and-forth affair for the better part of 10 minutes, it turned on a dime in the third round. There, Barboza caught the Tiger Schulmann protégé with a searing right hand. Burgos withstood the initial impact, only to have his body shut down in a bizarre delayed reaction. He stumbled backward into the cage in a dazed-and-confused state and came to rest in a prone position. Barboza connected with a pair of follow-up shots on his defenseless counterpart before referee Mike Beltran arrived on the scene to wave it off.