38-year-old Gilbert Burns has seen it all in MMA, from the highs to the lows. Now it's do or die as he will reportedly face one of the top prospects in the welterweight division.
'Durinho' is 0-1 in UFC title shots and dropped the ball against Kamaru Usman in 2021. Now on a three-fight losing streak – including Burns' knockout loss to Jack Della Maddalena – it's looking more and more like a pipe dream to see him at the top of the division.
Still, Burns could get a chance to put himself in contention with another quality win.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Gilbert Burns gets brutally honest in his fight against Michael Morales
Burns will face undefeated No. 13 welterweight contender Michael Morales at the unconfirmed event in Miami later this year, first reported by AG.Fight on January 10. Morales recently knocked out Neil Magny and improved to 17-0, 6-0 in the UFC.
The UFC has not officially announced anything about the fight or event, but this hasn't stopped Burns from speculating about the fight.
BREAK! UFC plays Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales on April 12 in Miami 🔥
— Ag. Fight (@AgFight) January 10, 2025
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Speaking on the Show Me The Money Podcast, Burns deemed Morales “at a high level,” but admits, “I can't afford to lose.”
“I think the guy's really good,” Burns said. “High level… Crazy finishes… He's very tough. … The fight isn't officially a done deal yet, but I think he's going to play. …But as Money Moicano says: 'I can't afford to lose, there are three [losses] al.'
“The injury against Belal, and then the knockout against [Jack Della Maddalena]and then the last [against Sean Brady] for me it was hard to swallow. … Now I'm going to do everything I can to perform.”
Gilbert Burns' UFC record against undefeated fighters
Burns has had a rough history with undefeated fighters in the UFC. Most recently, Burns was defeated by Khamzat Chimaev in a 2022 Fight of the Year. However, he was the first to put a real dent in 'Borz' and took him to the scorecards for the first time ever.
'Durinho' was the first man to defeat former M-1 Global champion Alexey Kunchenko in 2019. 'Wolverine' was 20-0 at the time, with high-profile victories over Thiago Alves and Yushin Okami. Before this, Burns defeated Andreas Stahl 9-0 in his UFC debut.
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