What’s Next for Gilbert Burns

Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev put on an amazing fight when they faced off at UFC 273 on Saturday night. Even though Burns did not win it was a very close fight, and Burns damaged Chimaev more than any other opponent Chimaev has ever faced in his short UFC career. Burns has a lot of fights that make sense for him.

One fight I’d like to see Burns take in the Welterweight division is a bout with Sean Brady. Brady is a Black Belt under Daniel Gracie and is undefeated in his MMA career; it’d be interesting to see these two high level Grapplers face off against one another. Burns is elite when it comes to his Jiu Jitsu being an IBJJF World Champion both in the Gi and out of the Gi and an ADWPJJC World Cup Champion. One of Burn’s most noted accomplishments in the Grappling world is a victory over Kron Gracie son of Rickson Gracie. It’d be cool to see this high level Grappling matchup in the UFC Octagon between Burns and Brady.

Belal Muhammad is another interesting fight for Burns. Win or lose in Muhammad’s in his matchup with Vicente Luque I think this is a sure fire great matchup between Muhammad and Burns. Muhammad sports an impressive 20-3-0 record with 1 no contest. He puts on an amazing show when he steps into the UFC Ocatagon. Burns definitely holds the edge with this fight in the Grappling department as Muhammad is only a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu. Muhammad would definitely want to keep this fight on the feet and go crazy with his striking. Whereas burns would definitely want to take it to the ground and get a Submission victory using his Jiu Jitsu.

Burns and Chimaev have been going back and forth on social media which makes fans think that the pair might run it back in the near future. Although I don’t think it will be right away as I think that the Chimaev Covington fight will probably happen first, but I feel as a fan that I want to see Burns and Chimaev face off again. That was a potential fight of the year and the matchup still intrigues me.

We will see what is next for Burns, but I think these fights definitely make sense.

3 Great MMA Fights Coming in April!

We are now in Spring and almost a quarter of the year is almost done. We think this is a prime time to look at the month ahead with some of the Killer fights that the UFC and Bellator has put together. MMA fans are in for a real treat with the fights these promotions have put together. Some are title fights with some of MMA’s biggest names, others are fights with MMA’s rising stars.

Khamzat Chimaev Vs. Gilbert Burns UFC 273

The first matchup we are excited about is a matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns. Chamiev has been taking the MMA world by storm. The Undefeated Russian born fighter has both striking and wrestling skills and has been compared to greats like Khabib Nurmogamedov and Jon Jones. Chimaev has been in camp working with fellow UFC fighter Darren Till. The duo have dubbed themselves, the “Smesh’ Brothers.” Till will be in Chimaev’s corner at UFC 273

Chimaev will really be tested when he faces off against Gilbert Burns who is one of the best Welterweights in the world who’s grappling is through the roof. Burns has an impressive 20-4 record with a win in his last outing when he fought against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Burn’s only loss in the last four years was to current Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. In the Grappling world Burns holds many achievements including being an IBJJF World Champion both in the Gi and out of the Gi and an ADWPJJC World Cup Champion. This is a fight I think fans will love to see.

A.J. McKee Vs. Patrício Pitbull 2

In his last outing A.J. Mckee won the Bellator Featherweight World Championship and won the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix and got a big check in the process. Mckee will be facing Patrício Pitbull the man he won the belt against in his next bout at Bellator 277. McKee has an impressive record in the Bellator cage at 18-0 and hopes to make this fight his first successful title defense Patrício Pitbull will be a tough first title defense for McKee. Pitbull is one of Bellator’s biggest stars. The Multiple time Featherweight and Lightweight Title holder packs a powerful punch and holds an impressive 32-5 record.

Rob Font vs Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera

Massachusett’s Rob Font is coming off a loss to Jose Aldo in December of 2021 he hopes to get back into the win column when he faces off against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Font is a Brown Belt in Brazillian Jiu jitsu and has been fighting MMA professionally since 2011. Before his loss to Aldo in December he was on a five fight win streak including wins over Sergio Pettis and Cody Garbrandt. Across the cage from him will be another Grappling ace in Chito Vera. Vera is coming off back to back wins to Davey Grant and Frankie Edgar. Vera is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt who’s first MMA fight was in the back of an automotive shop in a rusty cage. He has climbed far from that rusty cage to the top of the UFC Bantamweight division. We can’t wait to see how this one plays out.

UFC 273 Preview

UFC 273 is coming up on April ninth. The UFC packed the main card with some amazing fights with some of MMA’s biggest names and rising stars. Fight Fans are going to love this amazing card after some of the more mediocre cards at the beginning of the year. The first bout of note is between women’s Strawweight fighters in a classic Grappler vs Striker matchup between Mackenzie Dern and Tecia Torres. The next fight of note will be between Russian born Wrestler Khamzat Chimaev and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Gilbert Burns. The card will be topped off by two title fights.

Dern vs. Torres is the first fight fans will like on the main card. Dern is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt who sports an impressive 11-2 record in the Strawweight division. In her last outing she didn’t come away with a win against Marina Rodriguez, but before that was riding a four fight win streak with wins against Randa Markos, Virna Jandiroba, and Nina Nunes. She hopes to get back into the win Column when she faces off against striking expert Torres. Torres is a Black Belt in Karate and Jhoon-Rhee Taekwondo. She is riding a three fight win streak with wins over Brianna Van Buren, Sam Hughes, and Angela Hill. This is an awesome matchup I think fans will enjoy.

Chamiev has been taking the MMA world by storm. The Undefeated Russian born fighter has both striking and wrestling skills and has been compared to greats like Khabib Nurmogamedov and Jon Jones. He will really be tested when he faces off against Gilbert Burns who is one of the best Welterweights in the world who’s grappling is through the roof. Burns has an impressive 20-4 record with a win in his last outing when he fought against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Burn’s only loss in the last four years was to current Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. This is a fight I think fans will love.

The card will be topped off by two title fights; the first one is a matchup between Russian Bantamweight Petr Yan and American grappling ace Aljamain Sterling. These two met last year and Sterling walked away with the title after Yan landed an illegal knee that lead to a disqualification. The pair don’t like each other and have been trading verbal barbs online. The final title fight will be between Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and The Korean Zombie. Volkanovski is coming off a win against Brian Ortega and is riding a 20 fight win streak including two successful title defenses. The Korean Zombie is coming off a win against Dan Ige and was a fill in for Featherweight legend Max Holloway.

UFC 273 is an awesome card with some amazing fights. The PPV will be available for purchase on ESPN+

What’s Next For Colby Covington

Love him or loathe him Colby Covington has proved that he is one of the best Welterweight fighters currently. He came out on top when he faced Jorge Masvidal Saturday at UFC 272 when the pair faced off in a lopsided contest. This leads one to ask what’s next for Colby Covington. He may not be the caliber of fighter that Usman is, but could an unprecedented third fight be called for? Could a matchup with Dustin Poirier be in the cards? Would a matchup with the winner of Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimiaev be a good fight for the wrestler? We have our thoughts!

Covington has proved that he has an amazing gas tank and that he is one of the biggest personalities in the Sport, almost like he’s America’s answer to Conor McGregor. One fight that would definitely sell would be a match up between Covington and Kamaru Usman. The pairing have fought twice before with Usman winning both times, but the two don’t like each other and it would definitely sell PPV if they got together and fought for the belt sometime down the line.

Poirier and Covington do not like each other; the pair have traded verbal barbs with the former interim Lightweight Champion saying of Covington “I’ll never fight Colby (Covington) in an Octagon where there’s finances on the line. If I fight Colby, we’re both going to jail – I’m going to jail. You will never see me fight Colby Covington in the UFC.” But if the money is right this would be an interesting fight which I think Poirier comes out on top. This fight is really a no win situation for either of them.

Most likely I see Covington fighting the winner of Burns vs Chimiaev. The pair will be facing off against each other at UFC 273 in April and I think that the winner might face Covington sooner rather than later. Chimiaev is an undefeated Russian Wrestler who destroys everything in his path. The Russian who trains out of Sweden has recently become one of MMA’s biggest rising stars. He has recently become training partners with Englishman Darren Till. Covington has gone out of his way to trash talk Chimiaev referring to him as ‘c**shot.’

It’d be an interesting fight for sure as would a matchup with submission specialist Burns who has many achievements in the Grappling world and is currently ranked second in the welterweight division, Since Burns added Striking precision to his arsenal he has become lethal and could out strike and out grapple Covington.

FIGHTER PROFILE: Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman says crossover mega-fight with Canelo "only makes sense" and would be combat sports' 'biggest event ever' | DAZN News UK — Usman embraces victory. Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Kamaru Usman will face Colby Covington at UFC 268 in a rematch of their 2019 fight which was Usman’s first title defense. Usman will again be defending the 170 pound title at UFC 268 the world will be watching as these two great wrestlers face off in the UFC Octagon at Madison Square Garden. But what makes the welterweight champion and #1 pound for pound ranked fighter is his story and how he got to the UFC.

Usman was born May 11, 1987 in Auchi, Nigeria to his parents who were both of Nigerian descent. His father was in the Nigerian army and his mother was a teacher. Usman’s father would eventually become a Pharmacist and would move his family to the US when Usman was eight years old. This would get Usman an American education.

During his sophomore year Usman would begin wrestling at Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas. It would be a start of something special for young Usman who ended up with a 53–3 record and would place third at the Texas State Wrestling Championships. Usman who is the same age as Jon Jones would wrestle besides the future Light Heavyweight champion at the Senior National Tournament.

Usman would go on to wrestle in college at William Penn University. Usman would later transfer to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Usman would place top 3 in wrestling in the country in all his years at UNK. Usman would become a NCAA Division II national champion at 174 pounds in 2010 in Omaha. After College Usman decided to pursue Olympic Wrestling but decided not to take part after injuries derailed his dreams.

This led Usman to pursue MMA. In 2011 Usman made his first step into the MMA world when he served as the wrestling coach for Team Miller during The Ultimate Fighter season fourteen. Usman made his professional MMA debut in November of 2012 fighting for the RFA promotion he won by TKO (punches.) Usman would lose his next fight, and would fight for more times in smaller promotions and would then make his way to the UFC. He’d end up in the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter. Usman would win the show and it would be his first win in the promotion.

After The Ultimate Fighter, Usman went on a serious run, dominating the Welterweight Division. Beating fighters like Leon Edwards, Demian Maia, and Rafael dos Anjos. This would earn Usman a title shot, where he would face defending Welterweight Champion, Tyron Woodley. Usman would win by Unanimous decision. Since then Usman has defended the Welterweight Championship 4 times once against Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns and twice against Jorge Masvidal. Usman will be facing Colby Covington in a rematch at Madison Square Garden as the main event of UFC 268.

What makes Usman’s story all the more amazing is that when Usman was doing all of these amazing things in the cage, he had turmoil at home. His father was in Jail for most of his run due to a health care fraud and money laundering scheme. Usman’s father is now out of jail and has seen his son fight. Usman recently bought his parents a nice home for them to retire in.

We shall see if Usman retains his title after UFC 268 it is sure to be a great fight, and it should be interesting because Usman and Covington don’t really like each other which adds so much drama to the fight. We shall see!

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FIGHTER PROFILE: STEPHEN ‘WONDERBOY’ THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson kicks Geoff Neal in their welterweight fight on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC — Thompson lands a kick. Photo Courtesy of Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

Stephen Thompson is one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC at the current moment. The former Undefeated kickboxer and Karate black belt is one of the best Welterweights in all of MMA and is currently ranked 5th in the UFC Welterweight rankings. Thompson currently is one of the most respected martial artists in the sport due to his respect and the way he is a constant role model to both his students and any other Martial Artist that looks up to him.

Thompson was born February 11, 1983 in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Thompson started training in martial arts at age three under his father, Ray Thompson who happened to own Upstate Karate. Thompson’s father was a former professional kickboxer so it was no mystery that he’d get his son involved in the sport he loved. At age 15 Thompson started competing in both karate and kickboxing. Thompson holds a black belt in Tetsushin-ryū Kempo, American Kickboxing and Jujutsu. Thompson currently is the head instructor at Upstate Karate, when he is not participating in training for his time in The UFC octagon. Thompson also studies Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under his brother-in-law Carlos Machado. Thompson currently has a brown belt in BJJ.

Thompson made his MMA Debut in February of 2010 when he defeated Jeremy Joles by TKO (punches) for the Fight Party promotion. Thompson would fight three more times for the promotion and once for the Xtreme Chaos promotion. He didn’t lose a fight in the smaller promotions. This would lead Thompson to the UFC. Thompson made his UFC debut on February 4th, 2012 with a win over Dan Stittgen. The win which came by knockout was quite the arrival for Thompson. Who worked his way to the top of the division in subsequent fights. This would lead to Thompson earning a title shot against Tyron Woodley four years later. Unfortunately this fight ended in a draw which led to an immediate rematch with Tyron Woodley. Unfortunately this would lead Thompson to a rare loss in the fight game.

Thompson has worked his way back to the top of the Welterweight division and is currently ranked #5 in the division. His last fight was to Gilbert Burns and was unfortunately a loss. Hopefully Thompson gets back to his winning ways as he is an example of what a martial artist should strive to be.

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FIGHTER PROFILE: GILBERT ‘DURINHO’ BURNS

Gilbert Burns | UFC — Photo Courtesy of Zuffa llc

Since making his return to Welterweight from Lightweight, Gilbert Burns has been burning through some of the biggest names in the UFC’s Welterweight division. Burns who is one of the best grapplers in all of MMA and has pieced together an exceptional martial arts career both in the UFC Octagon and outside of the Octagon on the Jiu Jitsu circuit where he still continually competes.

Burns got his start in martial arts at age 12 when his father bartered Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lessons in exchange for him fixing a customer’s car. Burns and his brothers got three months of Jiu Jitsu lessons at Academia Associação Oriente where he trained under Welton Ribeiro. Burns fell in love with the “gentle art” as it has become known as. Burns would go on to be very successful in Jiu Jitsu, Burns would win the World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2010 and again in 2013. Burns would also win the World Cup finals Abu Dhabi that year. Burns would continue his success winning the gold medal in the 2011 World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships.

In 2011 Burns pivoted to competing in MMA where he’d make a name for himself. Burns would make his debut in MMA in 2012 with a Submission victory (rear-naked choke) against José Salgado for the Crown Fighting Championships promotion. Burns would win his next six fights which would earn the Brazilian a shot at fighting in the biggest MMA promotion in the world, the UFC.

Burns would make his UFC debut against Andreas Ståhl he’d win by Unanimous Decision. From there Burns would go to Lightweight he’d fight nine fights in that division and once at Catchweight (158 lb.) Burns would return to Welterweight against Alexey Kunchenko where he’d win by unanimous decision. Burns would make a dominant showing in the division beating former champion Tyron Woodley. This would earn Burns a title shot at Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 in February 2021. Burns would lose that shot at the title but would return to his winning ways with a victory over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264 in July on one of the UFC’s biggest PPVs ever.

It is not known at this time who Burns will face next. Hopefully he’ll get another title shot when we find out who the winner of Usman vs. Covington II will be at UFC 268 in November.

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