It’s often said that mixed martial arts is a young athlete’s game, and UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns is starting to feel just that.
At the age of 38 and 22 fights deep into his Octagon tenure, Burns remains highly ranked at #6. And the one-time title challenger isn’t done yet, looking to bounce back from a two-fight skid and revive his hopes of a late-career championship opportunity.
Having been the victim of a late comeback from Jack Della Maddalena last time out, a result that followed an injury-affected defeat opposite now-champ Belal Muhammad, “Durinho” has been left in desperate need of a rebound.
And the Brazilian has the chance to achieve that this weekend when he returns to main event a UFC Fight Night at the Apex opposite highly touted grappling specialist Sean Brady.
As he gears up to share the cage with the American on Saturday night, Burns is under no illusions about which stage of his career the matchup is coming at…
Burns On Retirement: ‘I Don’t Know How Much Longer…’
During a recent interview with Grind City Media, Burns looked ahead to his latest assignment on MMA’s biggest stage, which he’s appeared on consistently ever since his debut as an undefeated fighter back in 2014.
“Durinho” acknowledged that he’s certainly deep into the back end of his active career, the days of which are numbered. But he insisted that sufficient gas remains in the tank, something he plans to prove across the “handful of fights” he has left.
“I’m getting freaking old,” Burns said. “10 years in the UFC has been very good, but I don’t know how much longer. (I’ve) still got a couple fights left in me, so I’m not here for a long time. I still think I have a couple of good fights left, (but) not a lot. Not two hands full of fights, but (we’ve) still got at least one handful of fights left.”
One of those remaining bouts gets ticked off this weekend against the 16-1 Brady, who occupies the #8 spot on the welterweight ladder following a kimura submission of Kelvin Gastelum last December.
With a victory over the Philadelphia native, Burns could earn himself another chance to return to the division’s top five, where perhaps a second shot at title glory won’t be out of reach for the Brazilian veteran.
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