The clash between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal has been in talks for a while now. While Burns claims that both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout, ‘Gamebred’ previously hinted that is not the case.
Burns’ teammate from Kill Cliff FC, Phil Hawes, believes Masvidal doesn’t want to fight with Burns. ‘No Hype’ also considers it to be a smart move from Masvidal. Hinting at ‘Durinho’s elite jiu-jitsu, Hawes hinted that Burns is highly skilled in aspects of MMA where ‘Gamebred’ lacks. The 33-year-old said in an interview with The Schmo:
“I don’t think Masvidal wants that smoke. I think smart decision. He knows Durinho’s a beast, different animal. What he is bad at, Durinho has [grappling]. So, it’s smart on his part.”
The Gilbert Burns- Jorge Masvidal saga
Gilbert Burns initially claimed that Jorge Masvidal had verbally agreed to fight him, which ‘Gamebred’ refuted. ‘Durinho’ initially stated that the fight was pushed back due to a wrist procedure that Masvidal had to undergo.
‘Durinho’ later claimed that he had no issues moving on from the Masvidal fight.
In a more recent interview, Gilbert Burns reiterated his claims of a fight with Jorge Masvidal being agreed upon. ‘Durinho’ told TMZ Sports:
“I spoke with [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby [two weeks ago] and they said that’s a fight that they want, you know, and I said, ‘For sure, there’s no plan B.'”
According to Burns, Sean Shelby himself stated that Masvidal had agreed to the fight. The Brazilian further claimed that the bout will either go down in Vegas in December or at UFC 283 in January in Brazil.
While Burns would love to fight Masvidal in Brazil, ‘Durinho’ doesn’t think ‘Gamebred’ will show up in his homeground. The former welterweight title challenger told TMZ:
“[UFC] Just gonna figure out pay-per-view in December or pay-per-view in January, but the fight is verbally accepted from him, from me, so I’m just waiting to confirm if it’s gonna be December 10 in Vegas or if he has the balls to go to Brazil, UFC Rio, January 21…I don’t think he will show up in Brazil but we’ll see. I’m just waiting for the UFC and for Jorge to accept. C’mon Jorge! Let’s do it!”
Watch Hawes’ interview with The Schmo below: