Gunning for title shot, Gilbert Burns says things could get weird with teammate Kamaru Usman

LAS VEGAS – Gilbert Burns is in a good, but awkward, position in the UFC.

The Brazilian fighter defeated former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC on ESPN 9 Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The victory over Woodley was huge for Burns’ career since it extended his winning streak to six and put him in title contention at 170 pounds. And that’s where things could get tricky. His teammate, Kamaru Usman, is the current champion of the division.

“I don’t know – it’s going to be weird, but we’re both professionals,” Burns said in his post-fight news conference. “I like the guy a lot. He motivated me a lot when he became champion and I saw him come from zero. And we always like to work together because I have the jiu-jitsu and he has the wrestling. So I don’t know. It will be weird, but I want to fight for the title and he’s the champion, and that’s the only reason I would call for this fight because else it wouldn’t make sense.

“I want to go for the title next and I know (Jorge) Masvidal and all that craziness. But I told (UFC president) Dana (White) backstage I’m available for July. So if those guys keep being crazy, I want to fight for the title. If I don’t fight for the title, give me who’s available. If not Colby (Covington), give me Leon Edwards or whoever. I just want to stay busy.”

Usman was supposed to defend his belt against Jorge Masvidal, but it seems negotiations for the welterweight title bout have stalled. It’s unsure if that’s the bout that will happen next since Usman has expressed interest in fighting Conor McGregor and other contenders remain in line.

It’s certain that Burns is now on the top contenders list having defeated Woodley in dominant fashion. It’s uncertain when Burns could get his opportunity for the title. But one thing is sure: Burns is happy with his win at UFC on ESPN 9.

“I executed everything I trained. I visualized everything with the finish,” Burns said. “I didn’t get the finish, but that is not at bad thing because I wanted to show everyone I could fight five rounds with a former champion, take him down and do everything that I did. For sure, there are a lot of things that I need to get better – a couple of things that (coach) Henri (Hooft) pointed for me. But I’m happy with my performance for sure.”