"That's the same thing people said about Gilbert Burns" - Chael Sonnen calls 'Durinho's comments on Conor McGregor ironic, believes the Irishman will return at welterweight

Gilbert Burns' assessment of Conor McGregor's welterweight goals is ironic — at least in the eyes of Chael Sonnen.

On a recent episode of Beyond The Fight, Chael Sonnen discussed a recent interview he caught with Burns where the Brazilian stated that McGregor was too small for 170 pounds and would get crushed competing there.

While articulating his thoughts on this matter, Sonnen said:

"When Gilbert Burns was talking about Conor, he was not dismissive to Conor. He wasn't putting him down. He was just talking about his size. Just said with his size, he needs be a 155 pounder. I will tell you: that's the same thing people said about Gilbert Burns. "

Sonnen continued:

"That was a little bit of irony hearing Gilbert say it, because people said that about him. Gilbert was a '55 pounder, and he did well. He went to '70, where people said he's got no chance, he went on his run."

Watch the full video of Sonnen's thoughts below:

Although McGregor cemented himself as a featherweight and lightweight champion in the UFC, he also has welterweight experience in the octagon. 'The Notorious' split a pair of bouts with Nate Diaz. The first time out, McGregor lost via second-round rear-naked choke at UFC 196 to Diaz. In the second bout, the Irishman earned the majority decision win at UFC 202.

McGregor also fought Donald Cerrone at 170 lbs and finished him in less than a minute at UFC 246.

---

Gilbert Burns' welterweight run

Burns is coming fresh off the heels of a Fight of the Year contender with Khamzat Chimaev. However, Burns lost that UFC 273 bout via unanimous decision in April. Jorge Masvidal is someone that Burns is eyeing as a next opponent and has been campaigning for that fight booking on his personal social media.

'Durinho' transitioned to welterweight competition in the UFC for his August 2019 bout against Alexey Kunchenko. He emerged victorious over Kunchenko by way of unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN +14. Although he debuted in the UFC at 170 pounds, Burns spent around half a decade competing as a lightweight before returning to the category.

Burns has also collected significant welterweight wins over Gunnar Nelson, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.

Do check out the video below on athletes' crossover into MMA: