This past Saturday at UFC 258, Gilbert Burns (19-4) finally got his shot at Kamaru Usman (18-1). Burns was originally supposed to fight for the title back in July of last year, but a positive COVID test prevented the fight from happening.
Then, the two were supposed to fight at UFC 256 in December. However, Usman needed more time to recover after sustaining injuries in his last fight. The two finally got their chance to see who was better at UFC 258.
The fight couldn’t have started better for Gilbert Burns. Burns’ speed was blistering and he hurt Usman bad in the opening exchanges. However, Burns got overzealous in going for the kill and it seemed to drain him a bit.
After Burns couldn’t put the champion away, he appeared to be fatigued from an adrenaline dump. Usman started to go to work after that point. With a piston-like jab, Usman started beating up the challenger in the second round.
Between the second and third rounds at UFC 258, Burns was dropped three times before the referee called a stop to the action. Burns was extremely emotional in the octagon after the crushing loss. So after falling short on Saturday, what’s next for Gilbert Burns?
What’s next after UFC 258?
Everything in the UFC’s welterweight division has seemingly turned on it’s head. A week ago, the promotion had Khamzat Chimaev – Leon Edwards booked and they were working on Jorge Masvidal – Colby Covington for The Ultimate Fighter.
However, after the Chimaev – Edwards fight fell through, Dana White said that the UFC is looking at booking Covington – Edwards. With that, it appears that Jorge Masvidal (35-14) is going to get the next title shot after Kamaru Usman called him out on Saturday.Â
With knowing these new directions, where does that leave Gilbert Burns? Well, if Colby Covington (16-2) and Leon Edwards (18-3) do fight in March, Burns could take on the loser in his next fight. Perhaps even the winner depending on how the title fight timeline shakes up.
A couple of additional options would be a fight with Michael Chiesa (18-4) or Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (16-4-1). Those are the opponents that make the most sense for Burns. Gilbert Burns isn’t going away and he’s perhaps only just a win or two away from getting another title shot.