Gilbert Burns has officially announced his retirement from MMA. The scheduled bout between Azamat Guskov and Jan Blachowicz has been canceled. In its place, Polish fighter Ibragimov Baraniewski will step in to face Guskov. Arman Tsarukyan dominated Urijah Faber 13-1 in their wrestling match and called out Colby Covington afterward, promising a 10-0 shutout. Hamzat Chimaev has signed with the RAF wrestling league, and Bo Nickal immediately responded by challenging the champion.
Gilbert Burns has officially announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, closing the book on a career that saw the Brazilian welterweight become one of the division's most dangerous competitors.
Burns, nicknamed "Durinho," departs the sport at 39 years old with a professional record of 22-10. Fighting out of Kill Cliff FC, the five-foot-ten orthodox striker posted 3.15 significant strikes landed per minute across his career at 48 percent accuracy, while also averaging 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes — a reflection of the well-rounded game that once made him a welterweight title contender. He leaves ranked 13th in the division.
Elsewhere, the scheduled light heavyweight matchup between Azamat Guskov and Jan Blachowicz has been scrapped. Polish fighter Ibragimov Baraniewski has stepped in as a replacement to face Guskov, keeping the bout alive on the card.
In a notable moment outside the cage, lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan dominated Urijah Faber by a 13-1 score in a wrestling match and used the occasion to call out Colby Covington, promising a 10-0 shutout performance.
Khamzat Chimaev, the number-one ranked middleweight, has signed with the RAF wrestling league. Chimaev, known as "Borz," carries a 15-1 record and represents the UAE fighting out of Allstars Training Center. His grappling credentials inside the cage are well established — he averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and strikes at 4.04 significant strikes per minute at 60 percent accuracy. Bo Nickal wasted no time responding to the news, immediately calling out the champion.
Why it matters
- Burns retiring removes a seasoned gatekeeper from the welterweight top 15, reshaping the division's lower rankings
- The Blachowicz replacement bout changes the competitive calculus of that light heavyweight matchup entirely
- Chimaev's move into the RAF wrestling league and Nickal's rapid callout sets up a potential rivalry between two elite grapplers, Nickal averaging 3.1 takedowns and 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes at 61 percent striking accuracy
