Gilbert Burns on how he ended up facing Neil Magny next

Speculation is mounting around Gilbert Burns and who he will face off against next. The UFC settled on a bout between the Brazilian and Neil Magny, but now the welterweight contender has explained why he's fighting somebody ranked so low.

Despite being one of the top challengers in the 170lb weight class, 'Durinho' is fighting a man placed seven spots lower than him in the rankings as opposed to another top-five athlete. 'The Haitain Sensation' is coming off an impressive win against Daniel Rodriguez last time out.

During a recent interview, Gilbert Burns announced that both potential Jorge Masvidal and Belal Muhammad bouts fell through so he had to settle for a fellow veteran of the sport.

"It's very hard to get an opponent. I was happy at the beginning, the UFC said they want to make me against Masvidal. I kind of brought it up, they liked the idea, I was excited for the fight. We've been trying to get a fight since September.

"After Masvidal, whenever everything went off the table [and] we knew the fight was not going to happen, the UFC offered me Belal Muhammad and I was very excited with that fight too... But, whenever he declined it, Masvidal declined it, I was like, 'Man, I just want to fight.' Now, after a lot of frustration, I'm very happy that I'm fighting someone."

Although he lost, the last time we saw Burns in the cage, he put on a fantastic performance against Khamzat Chimaev in a certified fight-of-the-year contender which ended via decision.

Check out what the welterweight had to say about his upcoming fight in the video below.

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What does a win over Neil Magny do for Gilbert Burns?

While he's not one of the standouts at welterweight, a dominant win over Neil Magny could likely propel Gilbert Burns back into title contention and potentially put him one win away from a shot at UFC gold.

Aside from his losses to Kamaru Usman and the aforementioned Khamzat Chimaev, the South American is undefeated in the 170lb division and is a real threat to the throne.

If Burns manages to bypass Magny without any controversy, he will be an undeniable presence in the division and will likely be given a fellow top-five opponent next.

The welterweight clash is set to go down on January 21 at UFC 283.