‘Hurricane’ Takes ‘Brain Health Super Seriously’ After Barboza KO

Shane Burgos reflects on troubling knockout loss to Edson Barboza ahead of his fight with Billy Quarantillo at UFC 268.

Shane Burgos has taken plenty of precautions in preparation for his fight at UFC 268.

Burgos vs. Quarantillo takes place on the pay-per-view (PPV) main card broadcast of UFC 268, taking place inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on Sat., Nov. 6. “Hurricane” Shane is coming off a trouble knockout (KO) loss to Edson Barboza at UFC 262 on May 15. Burgos absorbed a shot from Barboza and appeared to be fine; however, shortly after his body appeared to shut down over the course of 10 to 15 seconds. In a new interview with MMAMania.com, Burgos reflects on the scary incident.

“I saw somebody say something about how [my] brain was too tough or mind was too tough or his body or something like that, which sounds cool. I’m going to run with that,” Burgos chuckles. “Not to toot my own horn, but I do think it was that. I remember the shot landing and I remember being like, ‘Okay, why are my legs f—king shutting down?’ I’m trying to stand up straight and my legs are just like, ‘Nah, we’re going to go down.’

“It was a weird thing. I remember the shot. I had no headaches, no light sensitivity, no nausea. No real symptoms of a concussion. But I did treat it like it was a concussion, obviously, I wasn’t stupid about it. I’ve been taking my brain health super seriously.”

Burgos earned Fight of the Night bonuses in his last two fights against Barboza and Josh Emmett. “Hurricane” finds himself in good company with Quarantillo despite opposition from firefights like Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2 and Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler

“I’m in a position where I can’t really call the shots. I’m on a two-fight losing streak. This is a good match-up stylistically for me. I really do enjoy the match-up,” Burgos says. “I’m actually a fan of the guy if I’m being 100 percent honest. I have no problem being honest. His fighting style. He approaches the fight game very similar to the way I do.

“When the referee says go, he’s fighting up until the referee says stop. He’s always looking for the finish whether it be on the ground or on the feet. I’m a fan of him. He’s a fighter’s fighter and I feel like I’m a fighter’s fighter too.”

A small portion of the bonus check will go to foodie Burgos’ favourite post-fight meal: chocolate lasagna.

“That’s my go-to. It’s what I have after every fight,” he explains. “It’s basically a layer of crushed Oreos on the bottom. Then a layer of chocolate pudding. Then a layer of more Oreos. Then a layer of Cool Whip and another layer of pudding. Topped off with more crushed Oreos.”

---

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 268 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPNEWS/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 268: “Usman vs. Covington 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.