Welterweight Gilbert Burns solidified his position as a top welterweight contender with this dominant performance over Jorge Masvidal. His victory at UFC 287 sent Masvidal into retirement. It sent Burns on a rocket ride to a title shot, though he’s on a detour at UFC 288.
Burns was initially demanding to be the back-up to welterweight champion Leon Edwards’s title defense opposite Colby Covington with a promise to be next in line. But when that championship bout was put on the back burner until at least October, Burns didn’t want to sit idle.
He instead opted to face fellow contender Belal Muhammad in a five-round UFC 288 co-main event bout. The winner of that bout is expected to get the next shot at the winner of Edwards vs. Covington.
But before Muhammad vs. Burns at UFC 288, watch Burns’s dominant performance against Masvidal.
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Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal | UFC Free Fight
(Video courtesy of UFC)
UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Prudential Center
Newark, New Jersey
UFC 288 Main Card
- Main Event – Bantamweight Championship: Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Henry Cejudo
- Welterweight: Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns
- Women’s Strawweight: Jéssica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Featherweight: Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes —
Bryce MitchellOUT - Featherweight: Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
UFC 288 Preliminary Card
- Lightweight: Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
- Light Heavyweight: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark
- Welterweight: Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
- Women’s Strawweight: Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba
UFC 288 Early Prelims Card
- Heavyweight: Braxton Smith vs. Parker Porter
- Middleweight: Phil Hawes vs. Ikram Aliskerov
- Flyweight: Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
- Middleweight: Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribiero
- Bantamweight: Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Muñoz Jr.
Watch Gilbert Burns retire Jorge Masvidal 👊 UFC Fight Video
