Gilbert Burns is one of the finest fighters in the UFC’s welterweight division. ‘Durinho’ made his UFC debut in the year 2014 against Andreas Stahl. As of 2023, he is currently ranked #5 in the UFC welterweight rankings. He also has a 2nd-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has won 5 performance of the night awards in UFC.
Durinho started his career as a BJJ fighter. He gave a gold medal-winning performance at the 2011 world Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championships. He then started his local MMA career winning on a 7-0 streak and received a call from the UFC matchmakers due to his incredible stint.
It’s been just over eight years since Burns began his professional MMA journey. From getting paid $8000 a fight to earning more than $400,000, the Brazilian ace has seen it all. So let’s find out how much the Brazillian mixed martial artist earns through his UFC fights.
Gilbert Burns’s UFC career earnings
UFC on Fox: Lawler vs Brown:
For his fight against Andreas Stahl, which was Burns’s debut, the Brazilian fighter made $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 win bonus).
On the back of a successful debut, Gilbert dropped back down to lightweight to take on Christos Giagos. After defeating him he went on to win against Oliveira at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs LaFlare where he earned $74,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus)*
UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs Henderson 3:
After two successive wins, he then faced his first loss via a unanimous decision to Rashid Magomedov. Where he only earned $19,500 ($17,000 to show, $2,500 Reebok sponsorship).
However, Burns finished off his tenure at lightweight with back-to-back victories over Olivie and Mike Davis. In the latter, he earned a handsome amount of $98,000 ($44,000 to show, $44,000 win bonus, $10,000 fight week incentive pay)
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After making an impressive 7-3 record at 155 pounds, Burns again took a short-notice bout against Alexey Kunchenko. Kunchenko was 20-0 at that time. But, Gilbert gave him his first loss and earned a staggering $102,000 ($46,000 to show, $46,000 win bonus, $10,000 fight week incentive pay).
UFC Fight Night: Lee vs Oliveira:
Burns fought his first nobility fight against former title challenger and Brazilian grappling legend Demian Maia. Defeating his country legend in the first round itself earned him the performance of the night honors. From that fight, he was able to earn a total of $160,000 ($50,000 to show, $50,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $10,000 fight week incentive pay).
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Biggest Paydays of Gilbert Burns
UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns:
Durhino’s final test came in the name of The Chosen One at Fight Night. Burns defeated the former welterweight champion and earned a total of $228,000 ($84,000 to show, $84,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $10,000 fight week incentive pay). In addition to these, he got a shot at the welterweight title against Kamaru Usman.
UFC 258
Gilbert’s recent fight was against the welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Though Burns lost the fight he was paid the highest for this bout in his entire MMA career. He earned a total of $380,000 ($350,000 to show, $30,000 fight week incentive pay)
UFC 264
Durhino’s next opponent was Wonderboy Thompson. He faced Stephen in the co-main event of UFC 264. Burns beat Thompson via unanimous decision. He bounced back nicely after losing to Kamaru Usman. According to MMA Salaries, Gilbert earned a reported $256,000. Burns earned $120,000 as a base salary and $120,000 as a win bonus. He also bagged $16,000 as a sponsorship bonus.
UFC 273
After UFC 264, Gilbert Burns took on Khamzat Chimaev in a highly anticipated fight. The fight was immensely entertaining and it was the first time when Khamzat was tested inside the Octagon. Durinho also came extremely close to knocking out The Borz. But the bout went the full distance and Burns lost the bout via decision.
However, his efforts inside the Octagon did not go unnoticed. As figures reported by MMA Salaries, Burns was paid his win-bonus as well despite losing. He reportedly earned $366,000. It included $150,000 as base salary, $150,000 as a win bonus, $50,000 for a “Fight of the Night” bonus, and $16,000 as his sponsorship incentive.