Gilbert Burns vs Khamzat Chimaev targeted for UFC 273
It appears we finally have word of who Khamzat Chimaev will be facing next, and that’s former welterweight title challenger, No. 2 ranked Gilbert Burns.
This bout is slated to go down at UFC 273, on April 9, 2022.
Chimaev and the UFC tried diligently to book himself against No. 3 contender Leon Edwards, a number of times, but it continued to fall through each time it was booked.
However, we will get to see him face a top contender after all, and it’s very exciting to anticipate.
Chimaev came to the UFC with a record of just 6-0, where he quickly improved that to 9-0, fighting twice in ten days, and three times three months. All three of these performances were as dominant as they come, and now we were ready to see him face an elite talent.
That’s where Edwards’ name came into play, but of course, it didn’t happen.
Chimaev was then out for 13 months, the longest layoff of his career, due to lingering Covid-19 symptoms.
He did finally return in October however, where he defeated Li Jingliang via submission in the first round. Now, Jingliang isn’t the best in the world, but he’s a very good fighter, and he’d only been finished once prior.
This improved his record to 10-0, and now we get to see him face one of the most dangerous top contenders in the sport.
Gilbert Burns moved back up to the welterweight division in 2019, defeating 20-0 multi-time world champion Alexey Kunchenko in his divisional return. Three more victories would follow before challenging the pound-for-pound best in the sport, Kamaru Usman, for the UFC welterweight championship.
Since that defeat, Burns has defeated fellow top contender, and former two-time title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson via unanimous decision last July.
With Chimaev’s wrestling, along with his underrated striking we haven’t seen much of, mix that with Burns’ world champion level BJJ, and his dangerous striking, this is going to be a great fight!
How do you see this one playing out?
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