5 potential opponents for Gilbert Burns after his setback at UFC 273

#2. Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal could look to use a fight with Gilbert Burns as a bounceback following his loss to Colby Covington

Given the attention his fight with Khamzat Chimaev has received, it’s probably safe to say Gilbert Burns is probably as big a star for the UFC now as he’s ever been.

With that in mind, why not match him with another fighter coming off a loss in the form of Jorge Masvidal?

Sure, Burns isn’t likely to provide him with the same kind of verbal feud as Colby Covington did, but given that ‘Gamebred’ now finds himself in hot water following that bitter feud, a more “normal” kind of fight might be just what he needs right now.

After renegotiating a new, highly paid contract with the UFC, it’s likely that Masvidal will want to step back into the octagon as quickly as possible.

While other fights might draw more attention, if he wants to get back into any kind of title contention, then beating Burns would definitely help.

More to the point, the fight might give ‘Gamebred’ the chance to prove that he’s closed the holes in his game that led directly to his losses to Covington and to Kamaru Usman.

It would be a huge risk for Masvidal, as if he were to suffer a loss, then his career at the top of the welterweight division would almost certainly be over.

If he could pull off a win, however, it would catapult him right back into the mix.

For Burns, meanwhile, Masvidal would potentially be the biggest scalp of his career, both in terms of his ranking and in terms of his name value.

It would be a risky fight for both men, but it may well be one worth booking from a UFC point of view.

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#1. Gilbert Burns vs. Vicente Luque or Belal Muhammad

Could Gilbert Burns face the winner of the upcoming Belal Muhammad vs. Vicente Luque fight?

Given that Gilbert Burns was ranked as #2 in the welterweight division prior to his loss to Khamzat Chimaev – and is only likely to drop a couple of spots at worst this week – then the fight that might make the most sense for him would be against the winner of this weekend’s clash between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad.

Given Luque holds wins over Michael Chiesa and Tyron Woodley, and Muhammad has beaten Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson, then the winner should certainly be considered a genuine title contender.

The big problem for them is that right now, there’s no real path for them to a title shot given the presence of Chimaev and Leon Edwards, who looks set to take the next crack at champ Kamaru Usman.

With that in mind, then surely the next best fight for the winner would be Burns – and likewise, ‘Durinho’ could do much worse than fight and attempt to beat either of the two, proving that he still belongs in contention for the title in his own right.

Sure, a bout between Burns and either Luque or Muhammad may not draw as well as a fight between Burns and Diaz or Masvidal.

But if ‘Durinho’ wants a path back to the title, then he’d be better to knock off a genuine contender – and the winner of this weekend’s bout ought to be considered as genuine as it gets.