DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – One half of the potential Fight of the Year for 2022 would like to see his opponent remain in the same weight class, despite a huge blunder on the scale recently.
Gilbert Burns has a history with Khamzat Chimaev, as the two men battled it out in an instant classic at UFC 273 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in April. The fight is high on most lists for the best of the year, as it was one of those battles that elevated both fighters’ profiles, despite Chimaev walking away with the decision win.
At UFC 279, Chimaev was set to raise his stock even higher when he was set to meet Nate Diaz in the main event of the pay-per-view event. Instead, he missed weight by 7.5 pounds, causing a last-minute shuffle of the top three bouts of the event. Although Chimaev went on to quickly finish Kevin Holland, Burns thinks its time his former opponent addresses some things.
