UFC welterweight standout Gilbert Burns doesn’t mind fighting his training partners.
That was evident when he challenged Kill Cliff FC teammate Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title in February 2021. The build-up was intense and often times awkward, but Burns and Usman were able to rekindle their friendship after Usman stopped Burns by TKO to retain his title.
Burns (22-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC) meets Sean Brady (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 242 headliner Sept. 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+). He mapped out his desired plan to getting back in the title picture.
“The best scenario would be to beat Sean Brady, finish it quick, beat Kamaru, and beat whoever is the champion, Shavkat (Rakhmonov), I don’t care,” Burns said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “We know we’ll fight each other. We don’t care. It’s not bad blood, honestly. We train. We make each other better, but everyone wants to be the best.”
Burns explains that it’s only business. Several of his current and former training partners are also ranked in the UFC’s top 10 welterweight standings so, “Durinho” says fighting them is inevitable.
“Even Ian Garry, we have a great relationship. He’s a cool dude,” Burns said. “I have nothing but respect. We always have fun. I was there for his fights. But if they offer, we’re both going to say yes. I don’t care. If we’ve got to fight, we’ve got to fight. May the best man win. ‘Oh, we trained before.’ Yeah, so what? We training, but I’m not trying to kill you. We were just training.
“I will call (out) Kamaru first. For sure, I want that rematch. It’s not that Ian Garry – for sure, I would do that fight too, but for me, the guys that are in front of me, they’re the biggest fights. Leon Edwards now has no opponent. That’s a big fight. Kamaru Usman, a former champ, rematch, is a good fight. Colby Covington too. He’s another one.”
But first Burns has to get through Brady, whom he views as a stern test.
“The guy’s tough,” Burns said. “He’s beaten a couple of high-level competition, Kelvin Gastelum, a couple of older dudes that were very tough. He went toe-to-toe with Belal (Muhammad) until he got a finish. He’s a very tough dude. I respect him, but I like the matchup. When they said his name, I like it very much.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.
