Gilbert Burns has announced his retirement from MMA following a recent UFC event. Mike Malott secured a victory that will place him in the top 15 welterweight rankings, though the author remains skeptical about his potential against elite competition. The post also mentions that Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber 13-1 in a wrestling match and called out Colby Covington afterward. Tsarukyan promised to dominate Covington and make people forget about him as a wrestler. Additionally, Khamzat Chimaev has signed with the RAF wrestling league.
Gilbert Burns has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following his most recent UFC appearance, bringing an end to a career that saw the Brazilian welterweight become one of the division's most dangerous finishers.
Burns, 39, finishes with a professional record of 22-10. Fighting out of Kill Cliff FC, the orthodox striker from Brazil held a ranking of 13th in the welterweight division at the time of his retirement. Over his career he averaged 3.15 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy, while also posing a consistent grappling threat with 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes and half a submission attempt per 15 minutes.
Mike Malott earned a victory at the same event that projects to place him inside the welterweight top 15, a rankings move that reflects his continued development in the division.
In a separate and unusual development, lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan defeated veteran Urijah Faber by a reported 13-1 margin in a wrestling match before calling out Colby Covington, promising to dominate Covington and erase his reputation as a wrestler. Faber, 47, is a former UFC bantamweight title challenger who carries a career record of 35-11 and has long been associated with Team Alpha Male in the United States.
Finally, Khamzat Chimaev has signed with the RAF wrestling league. The middleweight contender, ranked first in his division and tenth on the pound-for-pound list, brings formidable credentials to any wrestling competition. The 32-year-old fighting out of Allstars Training Center averages an elite 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes inside the octagon at 60 percent striking accuracy, making him one of the most well-rounded athletes in the sport.
Why it matters
- Burns retiring opens movement in a crowded welterweight top 15, giving ranked fighters below him a path upward
- Malott's top-15 entry adds a fresh name to an already competitive 170-pound landscape
- Chimaev's wrestling league signing further raises his profile ahead of what figures to be a pivotal stretch at middleweight
