Claudia Gadelha still sees Gilbert Burns in the title picture
The UFC BJJ president recalled the conversation she had with the Brazilian when he decided to return to jiu-jitsu
The loss to Gabriel Almeida did not take Gilbert “Durinho” Burns out of UFC BJJ’s plans. At the press conference after UFC BJJ 12, on Thursday, October 8, in Las Vegas, the organization’s president, Claudia Gadelha, was asked if she still sees the Brazilian in a title match, and she said yes.
“He got caught in a submission tonight, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to go back home, do his own work, and he’ll be back here looking for that title,” Gadelha said.
“I want to compete against the best”
Gadelha recalled a conversation she had with Burns when he decided to return to jiu-jitsu. “When he retired from MMA, he wanted to go back to jiu-jitsu. So, I asked him, ‘Do you want to have fun matches with MMA fighters or you want to compete against the best?’ He said, ‘I want to compete against the best,’” she said.
For Gadelha, Thursday’s result does not change what the Brazilian has already done. “Gilbert had an amazing career in jiu-jitsu. He is a world champion in jiu-jitsu. He fought for the title in the UFC. He had an amazing run in the UFC. He has nothing to prove anymore,” she said.
The question came from something Burns himself had said. According to the reporter, Burns said the day before that at first he did not see a championship in his future in jiu-jitsu, but as time went on he started to think, “why not?” Days before the event, he was already talking about a title shot.
“I’ll be back soon”
Gadelha’s prediction matches what Burns posted a few hours after the match. “No sad stories! I got careless with my foot, Gabriel went for it and caught it well, congrats to him! Heading home to rest and get better, and I’ll be back soon!” the Brazilian wrote on social media, in Portuguese.
Burns, 40, was submitted with a heel hook at 4:34 of the first round, at middleweight. It was his first loss in UFC BJJ. In his debut, in June, he had submitted Horlando Monteiro with a rear-naked choke in 1 minute and 22 seconds.
On the other side, Gabriel Almeida won in his first match in the organization. The 34-year-old Checkmat black belt was not at the press conference.
Will Burns still get to a UFC BJJ title match? Leave your opinion in the comments.
