The former contender for the UFC welterweight title, Brazilian Gilbert Burns, said that he would never fight with his compatriot Vicente Luque. According to Burns, he treats Vicente like a brother, so under no circumstances will he agree to a fight with him.
Gilbert Burns defeated Stephen Thompson last month at UFC 264 to solidify his spot in the top-five at 170lbs, while Luque submitted Michael Chiesa at UFC 265 to announce that he is a top contender, too. Naturally, with both Burns and Luque coming off of big wins and being ranked in the top-five of the stacked UFC welterweight division, there are some fans who would like to see this matchup next. However, with Gilbert Burns and Vicente Luque being good friends and training partners, “Durinho” says he will never fight against “The Silent Assassin.”
“Just letting it clear again @VicenteLuqueMMA is more than a friend to me he is a brother a real brother! Is no way I’m fighting him!” – Gilbert Burns tweeted.
Gilbert Burns and Vicente Luque are far from the only pair of teammates to be title contenders in the UFC and refuse to want to fight each other. In the welterweight division alone there have been several notable instances of this in the past. For instance, way back in the day both Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch were top contenders at 170lbs but wouldn’t fight each other since they were teammates at AKA.
Similarly, Tristar Gym teammates Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald never had any interest in fighting each other, either. Then again, you can never say never in this sport. While both Luque and Burns are saying no to fighting each other anytime soon, if there’s a belt on the line, perhaps their answer would be different.