Should Dustin Poirier decide to make the leap to the welterweight division, Gilbert Burns is ready to step into the octagon and provide a warm welcome to the former UFC interim lightweight champion at 170 pounds.
Burns, also known as “Durinho,” is currently on the road to recovery from a shoulder injury he sustained during a five-round battle against Belal Muhammad in May. He is hopeful that by September, he’ll be cleared to train without any restrictions, paving the way for a potential blockbuster showdown with Poirier in early 2024.
During an appearance on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast, Burns expressed his enthusiasm for the matchup, stating, “If you ask me which fight I wanted, it’s Dustin Poirier. He’s moving up, and that would be a super cool fight, but everyone’s calling him out, everybody wants him, so I won’t talk too much about it. But it’s a cool fight because of his name, because he’s moving up. It makes sense for him to fight against a top-five [welterweight].”
Burns is only interested in significant fights for his next UFC appearance after a successful 2023, where he secured victories in two out of three bouts. He impressively submitted Neil Magny in the first round and followed it up with a retirement win over Jorge Masvidal just three months later. His sole setback came in a short-notice fight with Belal Muhammad, where he injured his shoulder in the opening round but continued to fight for the full 25 minutes.
The former UFC welterweight title challenger emphasized that he has no interest in facing opponents ranked lower than 13 or 14 in the division. Such matchups would not offer him much in terms of advancement or recognition. Instead, Burns is willing to wait for a compelling and high-profile fight that will make a meaningful impact on his career.
Initially, Burns had set his sights on a rematch with former champion Kamaru Usman, whom he challenged unsuccessfully for UFC gold in 2021. However, Usman recently returned to his original training camp at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, a gym where Burns currently trains. As a result, the prospects of a rematch with Usman have dimmed, given Usman’s potential retirement plans.
Burns explained, “Kamaru is back at the gym again, and that was the fight for me, but I hardly think it happens now. Henry [Hooft] told me that Kamaru was coming back to train with us, that his plan was to maybe fight two or three times more and retire, that he’s at the end of his career, so there’s not much we can do. It kills one of the options I had — especially if he really is at the end of his career, this fight wouldn’t add much to him.”
Regarding the welterweight division’s top contenders, Burns isn’t keen on facing fighters like Kelvin Gastelum due to the limited attention such a matchup would generate. Instead, he’s eyeing opponents below the top five of the weight class. With the welterweight division currently experiencing congestion at the top, Burns believes it doesn’t make sense for Colby Covington to challenge 170-pound champion Leon Edwards next. He even humorously suggested a “double knockout” scenario in a potential Covington vs. Muhammad matchup.
Burns firmly believes that Leon Edwards would emerge victorious against both Covington and Muhammad, making him the rightful champion of the division. As he awaits his return to the octagon, Gilbert Burns remains committed to pursuing big fights that will propel him further in his quest for MMA glory.
