Two title fights top a stacked card at UFC 273 this evening, yet the majority of fans are most looking forward to the ‘people’s main event’: a welterweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns.
Unbeaten at 10-0 and having won all of his fights via finish, Chimaev is the most-hyped prospect in the UFC. The Russian-born Swede is set for his toughest test so far, however, when he takes on former title challenger Burns (20-4) here. A jiu-jitsu black belt with sharp striking and heavy hands, the 35-year-old Burns is a well-rounded combatant and marks a huge step-up in competition for Chimaev, 28, whose last outing was his first against a top-15 opponent in the UFC. In any case, Chimaev won that bout against Li Jingliang via first-round submission, choking the Chinaman out cold after slamming him to the mat while speaking to UFC president Dana White through the cage.
