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Khamzat Chimaev defeated Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision at Saturday’s UFC 273, a welterweight battle so good it won Fight of the Night honors, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Burns is seeking a rematch.
“I think the judges do whatever they have to do, but I’m just thinking we aren’t done,” he told TMZ Sports. “Me and Khamzat have to see each other again. Somebody gotta go down next time, I don’t care how many rounds we need in there.”
Chimaev seems inclined to grant him that rematch:
The two certainly had nothing but respect for one another after their first bout concluded:
But Burns feels like he can catch Chimaev in a rematch.
“Definitely a lot of pop in his hands,” he said. “That guy hits very hard. But like I said before, I have a ton of respect for this guy, but I don’t see no Superman. I don’t see no murderer, no monster. I see a guy just like me with a lot of will, a lot of heart, trying to get a finish.”
It’s unlikely the rematch would happen immediately, with UFC President Dana White already telling TMZ he was interested in seeing Chimaev face Colby Covington. The winner of that bout would almost assuredly get a matchup with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Burns (20-5) has already faced Usman, losing to him by TKO at UFC 258 in February 2021. He believes if Usman and Chimaev ever faced off, the reigning champion would prevail:
“That would be a tough fight. I still think Kamaru hits harder. Kamaru put me out, you know? [Khamzat] hit me with everything and he didn’t put me out. … The IQ of Kamaru Usman, if I gotta answer that question right now, will be the difference. Kamaru is a very intelligent and tested fighter. He’s been in the wars, he’s been against best guys around and I think Kamaru’s MMA wrestling is better than Khamzat’s. That’s my takeaway.”
Chimaev (11-0) is a perfect 5-0 in his UFC career and is one of the fighting promotion’s top up-and-coming stars. He’s likely just a win away from a title shot. But if he doesn’t beat Covington, he’ll have Burns waiting in the wings for a much-anticipated rematch.
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