Gilbert Burns wants to fight Jorge Masvidal and is willing to give ‘Gamebred’ some time to sort out his legal troubles. However, ‘Durinho’ is not prepared to wait longer than November.
In his interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, the Brazilian fighter admitted that the UFC expressed interest in the fight after he and the BMF champion verbally agreed to fight each other. Burns declared that he would be in fighting shape by September and that a potential fight could occur then or over the next two months.
Masvidal is currently involved in a legal battle with Colby Covington, and 'Durinho' is ready to wait until November for 'Gamebred' to sort out his legal woes. However, if the Miami native cannot do so, the Brazilian will likely run out of patience and move on.
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During his appearance on ESPN MMA, Gilbert Burns said:
“UFC kinda interested little bit in Jorge Masvidal. That’s the fight they want to make. Masvidal showed little bit interest, I showed a lot of interest. I thnk that’s the next one to do it. I don’t know when, I think I’ll be ready to go by September. And I think September, October, November that’s the latest that I would wait for Masvidal. I know he got a lot of things going on, he has a couple of injuries, he got the thing going with he got the legal thing going with Colby, so I’ll wait till November. I cannot wait more than that.”
Watch Gilbert Burns' full interview below:
Gilbert Burns on whether he would engage in a striking exchange with Jorge Masvidal
During the same interview, ‘Durinho’ stated that if his fight with Masvidal was a standing affair, he could knock out the BMF titleholder. Additionally, Burns stated that if the fight went to the ground, it wouldn't be fair, given his grappling credentials.
When asked by Okamoto if he would be willing to take 'Gamebred' in stand-up exchanges instead of taking him to the ground, the Brazilian admitted that he feels like he needs it to keep the fight interesting for himself:
“I have that guy in me, you know… I want to go to war, I have that Justin Gaethje - Michael Chandler. I have that thing, you know… I think it would be freaky entertaining and crazy and danger for me to stay on the feet, but that's kept me going, brother.”
A world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Burns has eight submission wins and also won six of his fights via KO. It shows how versatile a fighter he is and that he’s not scared to go toe-to-toe.
Masvidal, on the other hand, has 16 knockout wins and only two via submission. In his last fight at UFC 272, Colby Covington exposed his ground game as 'Chaos' dominated the entirety of the bout with his wrestling.