Gilbert Burns expects to be out several months after suffering a shoulder injury in his loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 288, but he won’t need surgery.
Burns (22-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) was noticeably compromised after the opening rounds of his unanimous decision defeat to Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) this past weekend at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. He managed to make it the distance, but was increasingly ineffective as the bout wore on.
The welterweight contender said it was an unusual exchange in the midst of the action that caused his issues with performance.
“He got the distance really quick and I was looking to counter his shots with a takedown, and whenever he tried to kick, I tried to jump to takedown, and I got to his waist, I kind of jumped to get the good timing, but I did it wrong with my legs,” Burns said on his YouTube channel. “He sprawled back a bit and did a down block, and I landed right on my left shoulder. All my weight, all Belal Muhammad’s weight was on my left shoulder. From there on it was hard to clear my mind and accept that I was hurt.”
A few days after the fight, Burns visited a doctor to find out the extent of the damage. The diagnosis wasn’t great, but it certainly could’ve been worse. Still, though, Burns it looking at a multi-month recovery before he can enter a training camp.
“I have AC joint torn, but it’s the second-to-third grade,” Burns said. “I have the dilatory torn. On the trap I have a muscle torn, and I have a sprain on my C-4 and my C-5 (on my neck). But all to those are partial. Nothing major. Thank God I don’t need no surgery. I’m taking a strong inflammatory. I’ve been sleeping most of the time. As of right now it doesn’t hurt because I’m taking so much medicine. The good news is I don’t need surgery. It’s going to be between two to three months recovery. I’ve got to do a lot of rest the first three weeks. I don’t think I even have PT. I’m just going to get a brace (for my arm). The good thing was all partial.”
Burns admitted it was hard battling through adversity in the octagon with Muhammad, but he’s proud to have survived and not give up on himself.
“I thought about quitting many times,” Burns said. “I didn’t, but I thought about it. It was that mental battle.”
Burns said he can’t say for sure if his injury was the product of a tenacious 2023 fight schedule. His fight against Muhammad came together on just 16 days’ notice when the UFC needed a short-notice co-main event for UFC 288, and it marked Burns’ third fight of the year after he submitted Neil Magny in January and beat Jorge Masvidal by decision in April.
Now, though, Burns must sit on the sidelines and stop himself from training for several months. He said it’s going to be a test of patience, but he’s relishing the challenge.
Ultimately, the 36-year-old still is confident he can be a factor in the 170-pound division. He intends on coming back better than ever, and hopes to enter the octagon again before the end of the year.
“I believe with that loss I took one or two steps back, but nothing changed,” Burns said. “I can say I’m even more hungry. I can taste that belt one more time. … If everything goes my way (I’ll fight) at the end of the year.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
