UFC 273 Breakdown: Gilbert Burns vs Khamzhat Chimaev
On April 9th of 2022, Gilbert Burns and Khamzhat Chimaev went to war in what will undoubtedly be a Fight of the Year contender. Gilbert was ranked #2 at the time, with Khamzhat sitting at 11th on the Welterweight rankings, as potentially one of the fastest growing stars in the UFC in the past two years. Although Gilbert has fought some incredibly tough opponents such as Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson, and current champion Kamaru Usman, this was potentially his biggest test to date in the eyes of the general public.
When Gilbert Burns signed with Team Sanabul, one of the first things we wanted to do was ask him about the fight, and what was going through his brain before/during/after. Luckily we got to pick the brain of the man behind in the arena, and dive into what it’s like to be a part of such an incredible event, and have such an intense lead up to a fight with a man like Chimaev. With multiple occurrences between the two leading up to the fight, such as meeting in the hotel and sizing each other up, a battle of words at the press conference, and an extremely intense face-off, the pressure was high for both men.
This fight was one of the most incredible fights of the year, and I would place it at my #1 for 2022 so far for sure. If you missed this fight you need to go watch it, maybe two or three times. The pair were nonstop trying to finish each other from the moment the fight began to the moment it ended, and the willpower and heart each of the men showed to completely empty their gas tanks until the second the fight ended. Khamzhat had lots of pressure to prove the hype was real, and to prove how skilled he really is. Gilbert’s pressure was different, he was fighting to prove the doubters wrong, and to prove he is still a contender in the division. Gilbert Burns went into this fight with many fans underestimating his abilities and toughness due to the hype surrounding Khamzhat Chimaev, and Gilbert arguably won that fight in the eyes of many fans.
