Gilbert Burns is laughing off Colby Covington receiving the next welterweight title shot.
The UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards is fresh off of his first title defense. He defeated Kamaru Usman in London at UFC 286. Immediately following the win, UFC president Dana White announced that next for Edwards would be Colby Covington. Covington was in London to serve as the backup fighter for the main event if one fighter should fall through. Covington has not fought in a year but is now receiving the next shot at the belt. This didn’t sit well with many of the top-ranked welterweights who have remained busy earning their shot.
Gilbert Burns is one of the men that could be in the title picture. Instead of taking the news of Covington being the number one contender to heart, he instead laughed it off. He was a guest on the Believe You Me podcast and spoke about this.
“To be honest, I got to give it up to this guy, this guy is smart, man,” he said. “This guy is so smart, he came out of nowhere because on March 5 he made one year that he fought Masvidal, that was March 5 last year. I was just about to say if that guy doesn’t fight they’re gonna kick him out of the ranks. Then out of nowhere, that guy comes and weights in, like oh man this freaking guy is so smart, I gotta give it to him.”
Gilbert Burns thinks he can still slip in front of Colby Covington with a great showing in Miami
Burns has his next bout right in front of him. He will be taking on Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 in Miami on April 8. He believes that with an impressive win, he can leapfrog Covington and set himself as the true number-one contender.
“I gotta give it up to him and then we’ll see. Now the pressure is on Dana, is on the UFC. Let’s see. I have an opportunity to make these guys change their decisions,” he said. “I gotta go out there and be so impressive that people say, ‘oh sh-t it might be Burns’ time right now and I’m going to take that.”
Burns’ opponent Masvidal also believed that he will jump the line with a win at UFC 287. Of the three men, Covington, Masvidal, and Burns, “Durinho” is the only one with a fight in the last 12 months.
