04/06/2022
Gilbert Burns Wants Rematch with Khamzat Chimaev But Only If It's 5 Rounds Next Time - MMA Fighting
Gilbert Burns doesn’t see Khamzat Chimaev beating Kamaru Usman: ‘I think Kamaru is a level above this guy’
Gilbert Burns became the first fighter in the UFC to truly test Khamzat Chimaev when they battled it out for three rounds back in April at UFC 273.
On that night, Chimaev won a unanimous decision on the scorecards – but not without Burns dishing out a whole lot of punishment in a truly epic back-and-forth war. While Burns awaits the word on his next fight, Chimaev appears only one more win away from a potential title shot against reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Burns knows Usman as well if not better than most anybody on the UFC roster – he trained with the champ for several years and fought him at UFC 258. That’s why he’s confident picking Usman to beat Chimaev in a prospective meeting.
“Kamaru, I think the IQ difference [over Khamzat] — IQ makes a lot of difference,” Burns told MMA Fighting. “I think Kamaru is very smart. He hits hard. Kamaru put me away. Three rounds, [Khamzat] couldn’t put me away. I think Kamaru does hit harder.
“I think Kamaru, the fight IQ with wrestling and striking is better than this guy. With the timing, the movement, with mixing things up, the feints, the angles, I think Kamaru is a level above this guy still.”
According to Burns, it’s the cerebral way that Usman approaches his fights that really makes a huge difference every time he competes. That’s a huge difference against somebody like Chimaev.
“I think Khamzat will be tough, but it’s nothing Kamaru hasn’t seen,” Burns said. “I stuffed one takedown, he took me down one time, but nothing [serious]. Kamaru’s IQ is different.”