An extended run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has taught Gilbert Burns to expect the unexpected.
“I’ve amassed a lot of experience in the UFC,” Burns told Sherdog.com. “At first, I thought my path would be shorter. I thought I would become champion in short order. In the end, things didn’t quite work out that way. I had great wins but also a few losses.”
A multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, Burns touched down in the UFC as a prized lightweight prospect in 2014 and later repackaged himself at 170 pounds. He fought for the welterweight crown at UFC 258, losing to Kamaru Usman by third-round technical knockout. Burns has gone 2-1 in three outings since, his victories over Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny sandwiched around a defeat to Khamzat Chimaev.
“After moving up to welterweight, things got easier,” he said. “I had much better performances due to not punishing myself so much doing weight cuts. I feel my career started getting better because of the weight class change. Today, I’m in a good place.”
Masvidal offers the kind of name recognition and visibility opponents covet. The American Top Team export owns high-profile victories over Donald Cerrone, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz. However, Masvidal has never looked more vulnerable, as the 38-year-old Miami native has lost three fights in a row for the first time in his career.
“I wanted to have this fight some time ago,” Burns said, “but since it was taking so long to get it booked, I started losing interest. This is my third fight against someone outside the Top 10. Despite that, I very much want to capture a championship, and I believe a dominant win by knockout or submission could result in another title shot. I don’t choose my opponents. Sometimes I ask—I asked for Colby Covington—but you can’t always get what you want.
“Jorge is going to bring a lot of eyes to this fight, and a win is a win,” he added. “I’m hoping to either get a title shot or at least get to where I’m very close to one. My objective now is to beat Masvidal, earn another title shot and become champion.”
Burns last competed at UFC 283, where he dispatched the aforementioned Magny with an arm-triangle choke in the first round of their Jan. 21 confrontation. He has not fought more than twice in a calendar year since 2019—a trend he hopes to change moving forward.
“My plans for the future are to remain active, keep fighting and stay healthy,” Burns said. “Last year, I only had one fight, so this year, I want to keep working. I want to get as close to the belt as I can this year. I want to be champ. I’ll keep on fighting. One or two more fights this year would be essential for me to get to the title.”