Gilbert Burns believes Khamzat Chimaev’s weight cut played a big
part in his struggles at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC
Gilbert
Burns had a pretty good idea of how the UFC 328
main event would play out.
Widely regarded as Khamzat
Chimaev’s first difficult test in the Octagon in their UFC 273
bout, Burns released a video on YouTube last week breaking down the
middleweight title bout between “Borz” and Sean
Strickland. Burns predicted that Chimaev would have a difficult
weight cut and also revealed that Strickland had impressed some
Brazilian jiu-jitsu aces with his high skill level on the
ground.
“He trained with some aces of UFC BJJ like Vagner
Rocha and his son Aquile, that couldn’t submit him,
and I don’t believe Chimaev will,” Burns said in the video. “When I
saw a video from Arman
Tsarukyan saying that [Chimaev] lost 20 kilograms [44 pounds] I
knew [the weight cut] would be hard.”
After Strickland upset Chimaev to recapture the middleweight belt,
Burns released another video breaking down the happenings in the
UFC 328 headliner.
“Chimaev had a heart attack in the second round,” Burns said.
“Certainly it was due to the weight cut. He strangely stepped on
the scale for three seconds. When he stepped, it´s clear that the
scale raises in an abnormal way… Definitely his weight cut was
terrible, and the biggest proof of that was one of the best
wrestlers of the UFC pulling guard in the first minute of the
second round.”
Costa vs. Chimaev
After UFC 328, Dana White revealed that Chimaev told him that he
plans to move to light heavyweight. With that in mind, Burns
declared that Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa
is the fight to make.
“No doubt. The fight is already sold, the two already have a
history of rivalry — Chimaev vs. Costa at light heavyweight,” said
Burns, who pointed out that the promotion brought “Borrachina” to
the event in Newark, New Jersey.
Burns, who announced his retirement after losing to Mike Malott
in the UFC
Winnipeg headliner on April 18, also revealed that he has
signed to compete for UFC BJJ.