Gilbert Burns: Khamzat Chimaev Is Confident, Not Arrogant

Unlike some MMA fighters and fans, Gilbert Burns is in favor of Khamzat Chimaev’s immense confidence.

Tomorrow night, Burns and Chimaev will face off at UFC 273. Chimaev has been hungry for a fight since his impressive submission win against Li Jingliang last October. The undefeated welterweight has named just about every fighter under the sun for his next opponent.

Boldly, Chimaev called out champions Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya, among others. But no matter how much Chimaev dropped names on Twitter, not many have chosen to fight him. For instance, Diaz flat-out said no because he’s a “rookie“. And, Adesanya is not yet intrigued by anything Chimaev is capable of.

Many disagree with Chimaev’s antics and deem him cocky. Some would also argue that he lacks the experience to be as confident as he is.

However, Burns disagrees.

“I think he’s very confident. I don’t think he’s arrogant. I like it. I like that the guy believes in himself. That’s how we get a title shot – you fight anyone, call everyone out, and get (in there) on short notice. Remember, after the Demian Maia fight in Brazil, Tyron Woodley had a fight coming in London against Leon Edwards. Then with the pandemic, everything shut down. I remember, I started calling him out, and then eventually I got the fight,” Burns said in an interview with The All Star.

“Borz” is not the first fighter to exhibit high self-confidence, and he certainly will not be the last.

Being undefeated does come with a boost in self-confidence. And why shouldn’t it? Every opponent you’ve ever had has fallen at your feet.

Burns won his professional MMA debut back in 2012 and came out victorious in his next 9 fights. Russian fighter Rashid Magomedov concluded Burns’s 10-fight win streak via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 77.

Though he suffered some more losses, he eventually found himself on another win streak.

Khamzat, currently at 10-0, considers himself the best in the UFC and plans to dominate everyone and remain undefeated.

“I think he’s doing the right thing. I don’t see him as arrogant. I see him very confident. Especially undefeated (fighters), sometimes, I’ve been there, I was 10-0… I do believe he’s a little bit over-confident. He thinks he’s untouchable; never saw a loss. I’ve been there before,” Burns continued to say.

Saturday, Burns has the chance to test Chimaev’s might and see if he can put an end to his undefeated path. And if he wins, the world will discover if Khamzat’s confidence is unbreakable.

What are your thoughts on how Gilbert Burns views Khamzat Chimaev?

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