The Welterweight contest between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns is going to take place at UFC 273. Burns fought for the title against Kamaru Usman back in 2021. Burns was knocked out by the champ, and ever since, he’s been looking to get back to the top with a dominant win over Khamzat.
At this point in MMA history, Russian wrestling is just as feared as BJJ was when the UFC first started. Fighters from Dagestan and Chechnya have made successful careers in UFC, dragging their opponents down and smashing them up.
Knowing this, Burns has enlisted the help of Russian wrestlers to help him prepare for UFC 273 and kept their identity a secret. In a recent interview, ‘Durinho’ stressed:
“I had to hire two wrestlers, two very tough Russians who are helping me daily. They asked to keep their names a secret, and I had to [agree], because they are showing me a lot of stuff, changing a lot of stuff in my game.”
Gilbert Burns on his training camp for Khamzat Chimaev fight
Gilbert Burns will take on the Welterweight sensation Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. ‘Borz’ displayed his absolute dominance in the ground, during his last four fights. Hence, to match his skill set, ‘Durinho’ has brought in two ‘secret’ Russian wrestlers in his training camp.
Chimaev improved to 10-0 as a professional MMA fighter after steamrolling four opponents inside the octagon with his offensive wrestling and pressure — and Burns, a decorated grappler who’s become a well-rounded MMA fighter over the years, knows what to expect come April 9.
“His ground game is good and he’s lengthy. He’s big,” Burns said.
“That’s why I had to bring in big guys, because it changes a lot. Jiu-jitsu has a lot of leverages and it’s more complex when the guy is long. I had to bring these guys in, and I train with Vagner Rocha too, people that help me evolve my game, but [Chimaev] does have good ground game.
The Brazilian fighter has 7-wins in his last eight fights inside the octagon and his only loss came against reigning champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 in February 2021.
In his last fight, Burns defeated Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson via unanimous decision. A dominant win against Chimaev at UFC 273 could once again thrust the Brazilian back into the title picture.