Fourteen appearances into his promotional tenure, Gilbert Burns is finally on the marquee.
At UFC on ESPN 9, Burns (18-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) will headline against former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. The career milestone doesn’t come with added emotions, Burns told MMA Junkie on Wednesday.
“This is for sure my first time headlining a card, but I knew that day would come,” Burns said. “I was getting ready for that. I knew I would headline a card. I knew I’d be in a main event. I knew I was going to have a big fight. That day just came, you know?
“I have no emotions right now. I just keep doing what I’m doing. I’m doing my best in every session, resting, eating and doing everything good to go there on Saturday at my best. It’s business as usual.”
The fight against Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) originally stems from a figment of Burns’ imagination. Before the UFC’s March 21 event scheduled for London fell through, Burns volunteered to fight Woodley on short notice. Two months later, it’s a reality – and Burns said he loves the matchup.
“I hope he comes out firing the way he says he’s going to come,” Burns said. “I don’t know. It’s a big test for me. … I knew the next one would be a tough guy. It couldn’t be tougher. It couldn’t be better. He’s the No. 1 contender and a former champion. I’m ready for whatever I have to go through. If I have to go five rounds, I’m ready to. I’m confident.
Burns outlined confidence as a main difference between the two fighters. Woodley isn’t lacking confidence. It’s quite the opposite, Burns indicated.
“I know he’s over-confident. He’s going to be shocked. I’m going to walk forward with forward pressure on him. I know he’s got good wrestling takedown defense. I’m going to shoot. I’m going to hit him hard and I’m going to put pressure. I’m going to make it a dirty fight. I can’t wait for that. I hope we’re ‘Fight of the Night.’ I’m excited for this fight.”
Knockout or submission, Burns said it doesn’t matter. According to the Brazilian, the main focus is to finish the fight. Should he win, a title shot could be on the line – but it’s contingent on how he gets it done.
“For sure,” Burns said. “Especially if I beat him the way I want to beat him, the way I believe I’ll beat him. If I beat him up good and get the finish I’m looking for, he’s the No. 1 contender. The next fight would be to fight for the title. I think it all depends on the performance.
“If I go out there and kill Tyron Woodley in a couple rounds, for sure I’m next in line. If it goes to a tough fight or a split decision, maybe I’ll have to do another one. We’ll see. I’m just looking forward to a great performance.”
UFC on ESPN 9 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Gilbert Burns says Tyron Woodley overconfident entering UFC on ESPN 9: 'He's going to be shocked'
