Gilbert Burns

Gilbert Burns left no doubts on Saturday that he’s indeed, a serious contender in the UFC’s welterweight division. Burns has made it clear he wants to fight for the division’s title, and that means things could get weird with Kamaru Usman.

Burns comments on fact his teammate holds the belt he wants

The decorated jiu-jitsu competitor was tapped to face Woodley in the headliner of UFC Vegas, since Burns had gone 3-0 after moving up to welterweight. Not only did Burns record his fourth straight win at 170, by outscoring Woodley, he dominated the former champ.

Due to Woodley’s status, and the fact he was ranked #1 prior to Saturday, there’s no doubt Burns is knocking on the title shot door. While Burns respects and trains with Usman, he’s not abandoning his desire to win UFC gold.

While talking to the media afterwards, Burns said this (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“I don’t know – it’s going to be weird, but we’re both professionals,” Burns said. “I like the guy a lot. He motivated me a lot when he became champion and I saw him come from zero. And we always like to work together because I have the jiu-jitsu and he has the wrestling.

So I don’t know. It will be weird, but I want to fight for the title and he’s the champion, and that’s the only reason I would call for this fight because else it wouldn’t make sense.

“I want to go for the title next and I know (Jorge) Masvidal and all that craziness. But I told (UFC president) Dana (White) backstage I’m available for July.

So if those guys keep being crazy, I want to fight for the title. If I don’t fight for the title, give me who’s available. If not Colby (Covington), give me Leon Edwards or whoever. I just want to stay busy.”

It will be really interesting to see how the Hard Knocks 365 team navigates all this, if in fact, Burns ends up fighting Usman.

But will Burns get a title shot next?

The teammates issue aside, is there a chance Burns will be booked for a title shot next? It seems unlikely right now.

For months, the expectation has been that Jorge Masvidal will fight Usman next. While talks for that bout have hit a snag, it’s a fight that could still happen.

Then there’s also Colby Covington in the mix, as well as Leon Edwards, who has won eight in a row.

The big hurdle for Edwards is that he resides in England. So, it’s not clear yet whether he’ll be able to attend UFC events in the near future, on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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