Gilbert Burns leaves Miami with his hand raised as he takes out Jorge Masvidal in his home town at UFC 287.
Before the Fight
Gilbert Burns
As he looks to claim a huge scalp in the form of Masvidal. Gilbert Burns enters the UFC 287 with an MMA record of 21-5. Since his move to welterweight Burns has quickly risen the ranks and once again looks to get back into title contention.
In his last five MMA bouts Gilbert has gone 3-2, with one loss to then-champion Kamaru Usman and the other a FOTY contender against Khamzat Chimaev. His last outing was earlier this year at UFC 283, where he submitted Neil Magny in the first round.
Jorge Masvidal
Back to action after over a year away. Masvidal looks to regain his fine form that sees him challenge for UFC gold in back-to-back fights. A veteran of mixed martial arts, Masvidal has an overall record of 35-16. Jorge holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history with his five-second flying knee against Ben Askren in 2019.
Not currently in the best spell of his long career. The last five have seen Masvidal go 2-3, with two losing efforts at the middleweight title included. His last bout was a grudge match against fierce rival Colby Covington who he lost to via decision.
The Fight
Round 1
A leg kick by Masvidal is the first strike thrown as they both start tentatively. A big right hand from Burns grazes the chin of Jorge, but not loads of offence inside the first two minutes. Masvidal blitzes with a trademark combination. His biggest success so far is the low kicks that have landed throughout round one.
Gilbert is pressuring but not throwing he’s using feints to get a read. Burns has thrown several kicks to the body that have been partially blocked or evaded. Gilbert scored his biggest land with 50 seconds remaining. This wakes Jorge up who lands a few shots in response. An attempted flying knee misses for Masvidal and Burns scores a late takedown with a barrage of punches ending the round.
Round 2
A fast start in the second sees Burns blitz forward and send Masivdal to the canvas. Bouncing straight back up he finds himself on the shoulder of Burns who sends him to the ground. Burns looks to work from guard but Masvidal is keeping his defence tight.
Unwilling to explode and potentially risk succumbing to a worse position, Masvidal remains calm. Gradually finding his way over to the fence he finds his feet and rolls in an attempt to escape. Burns keeps his grip and brings the fight back to the mat. Once again finding his feet Jorge looks to work in the clinch and elbows to break the hold. Another Masvidal flying knee opens an opportunity for both men to land.
Round 3
Burns remains persistent on throwing the overhand right. Masvidal’s equivalent is the low kick to the outside of Gilbert’s lead leg. Gilbert rushed forward and wobbles Jorge as he pours on the pressure.
Burns lands again as Masvidal shields up along the fence. Pushing forward to halt the offence coming his way Masvidal lands a nice combination. This leads Gilbert to shoot and they end up in a clinch on the fence. Burns drags the legs from under Masvidal to score the takedown.
On the mat, he looks to land elbows as Masvidal shells up. Burns remains heavy on top and grinds out the round in complete control.
Gilbert Burns win via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
What’s next for Gilbert Burns after his UFC 287 victory?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
