Off Guard: Gilbert Burns eyes Demian Maia showdown in Brasilia

LAS VEGAS – Brazilian UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns has had to sit tight and wait, but he believes his dream fight could be just around the corner.

Burns (17-3, 10-3 UFC) hasn’t competed inside the octagon since his unanimous decision victory over Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson at UFC on ESPN+ 18 back in September. But “Durinho” hasn’t been resting on his laurels. Instead, he’s thrown himself into grappling competition and played a starring role for Team UFC as they won the recent Quintet Ultra event earlier this month.

MMA Junkie managed to grab a quick word with “Durinho” in Vegas during UFC 245 fight week, where he explained that the opportunity to compete in grappling events like Quintet and Submission Underground gives him a welcomed outlet to scratch his competitive itch between MMA fights.

“If I don’t have anything scheduled in MMA, I’ll be in the gym training, trying to evolve,” he said. “I’m not the kind of guy who gets injured super-quick, so I want to be active, for sure. And (if I can) take those grappling fights (and) make sure I keep improving, getting sharp in my jiu-jitsu, I’ll be doing it for sure.”

Burns had hoped to squeeze in a final UFC bout before the end of 2019, and hasn’t been shy to post on Twitter to throw his hat into the ring for a variety of matchups over the last few months. Nothing came to fruition, but he says he’ll wait for the right opportunity as he heads into 2020.

“I’ve got in a position now where I’m ranked, and I think it makes sense to get a ranked opponent,” Burns said. “So I’m not hurrying so much, but sure, if the opportunity comes. I need to be a little warm. I can’t cool down so much, then return. I’ve got to be training. I’ve got to be in good shape, so if the opportunity comes, I’m ready to jump in. But if not, I’ll be grappling. Like I said, no complaints. I’ll keep training, doing the grappling and helping my teammates.”

Burns is riding a four-fight winning streak inside the octagon, with his last two coming at 170 pounds after he made the decision to move up from lightweight. And the Brazilian says he needs to produce some eye-catching performances in his new weight class to push himself closer to title contention.

“I think I need a couple of statements, a couple of big finishes in that division,” he admitted. “It’s crazy, because I jumped to 170 and haven’t had a camp for my fights. I just fought two at short notice and beat two very tough, very well-rounded guys in the division.

“I look forward to having a camp for my next fight, and I’m looking forward to three names. They asked me for three names, and I said Demian Maia, (Santiago) Ponzinibbio and Neil Magny. No easy fights right here, but those are names I think I can perform very good (against) and can put me on a different level in that division if I perform the way I think I can perform.”

And if given the choice, Burns said he knows exactly whom he would like to face next.

“Demian Maia, for sure,” he smiled. “A grappler vs. grappler (matchup) in Brazil. March 14 in Brasilia? Wow. That’s a dream fight. So I have one dream fight that will be on my bucket list against Sakuraba (at Quintet Ultra), and Demian Maia will be the next one, for sure.”