First UFC loss was a blessing in disguise for Gilbert Burns: ‘I thought I was unbeatable’
BRASILIA -- Gilbert Burns suffered his first loss as mixed martial artist in November, but it wasn’t a bad thing after all. Ahead of a clash with fellow Brazilian Michel Prazeres at UFC Fight Night 95 in Brasilia on Saturday night, "Durinho" admits that losing a decision to Rashid Magomedov ended up being the best thing for his career.
Burns was unbeaten in 10 professional fights heading into UFC Fight Night 77 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in November. The Brazilian had a 3-0 UFC record, and expected to be able to impose his jiu-jitsu and get the victory in front of his countrymen, but couldn’t get it done.
"I had a good first round. He wasn’t doing anything there, actually," Burns told MMA Fighting. "He knocked me down in the second round, he was more effective. In the third round, I was there to kill or be killed, so I had no strategy whatsoever. I have to be more patient to make everything work. I said ‘f--k it, I’m going straight forward and if I get knocked out, f--k it.’"
Burns was reckless in the cage, and that cost him the fight. It took eight months for him to return to the Octagon and get back on the winning track with a first-round submission win over Lukasz Sajewski, and part of that is thanks to what he has experienced in the UFC last year.
"I’ve learned a lot in 2015," "Durinho" said. "I had that fight with (Alex Oliveira) ‘Cowboy,’ and then I had a fight coming up with Norman Parke but I broke my ribs. I competed at the ADCC after that, and then suffered my first loss against Rashid. I learned a lot last year, and this is the time to put all that in action. I want to get more experience in the Octagon, fight more often."
Two of Burns’ submission victories in the UFC came with three seconds left in the opening round. The third submission, an armbar over Alex Oliveira, he was able to get with 46 seconds left in the clock after getting dominated in the first two rounds. Burns’ jiu-jitsu was good enough to give him the win with seconds left, and that became a problem.
"I thought I was unbeatable," he said. "I trained with the best and tapped everyone, and I felt confident standing. I really thought I was unbeatable. I thought ‘one more year and I’ll be the UFC champion.’ I was overconfident. ‘If he beats me standing, I’ll just take him down one way or the other and catch him. I can tap him any time I want.’ Losing was good because prior than that I was winning even when I wasn’t fighting that well. The loss made me see the holes I had to fix in my game."
Burns is still confident that he can win the UFC lightweight championship, but admits that he has to spend more time in the Octagon in order to be ready for it.
"(The UFC belt) is not that far if I continue doing everything right, working hard and dedicating, doing my best in everything I can control," Burns said. "But I need experience. That’s what’s lacking. I have to test myself more. Michel is a good test for me. Every fight is a test I have to overcome.
"I want a top 15 next, and then a top 10. Bigger names, bigger tests, so I can test my jiu-jitsu and my evolution in MMA. But I will still say my jiu-jitsu is the best in the lightweight division. There’s no secret or magic, it’s training. I used to train with Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez for a long time, and the only thing they have that I don’t is experience. Aside from that, it’s not that different."
Burns knows what’s Prazeres is capable of. But even though he respects his opponent, he only sees one option for him to win the fight.
"He’s strong, especially early in the rounds, and puts a lot of pressure, but tends to slow down in the end. And he pretty much gasses in the third round," Burns said. "He has some good takedowns and clinch work, and some kicks. He has trained in the past at Lyoto Machida’s gym so he knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t have knockouts, though, and most of his wins are by decision, but he’s more experienced than me in MMA.
"Being honest here, I have the best jiu-jitsu in the division. I can tap anyone in the top 15. Taking me down is easier said than done, but if he tries that he will be coming to my world. I don’t know what’s he’s trying to do in this fight, but I will thank him if he tries to take me down."
If Prazeres slows down against Burns, who has four late stoppage wins in his MMA career, it could give him the chance to add another finish to his record.
"I believe that the explanation for this is that I’ve trained with a lot of tough, experienced fighters, jiu-jitsu black belts or high level wrestlers," Burns said. "I’ve trained with Eddie Alvarez, Michael Chandler, and they are champions in the UFC and Bellator.
"Early in the round, even in training, they are strong and full of energy, so they can stop takedowns or come back up easier. It’s dangerous to go for takedowns early in the round, and that’s something I learned in training. But when you cut too much weight, you don’t have that speed and strength in the end of the round, and that’s when I go for the takedown to put you in a bad position."