Gilbert Burns has announced his retirement from fighting. In RAF wrestling, Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber by a score of 13-1, throwing him off the mat and delivering on his pre-fight promise. After the match, Tsarukyan called out Colby Covington, stating he would aim for a 10-0 victory and emphasizing he gave Faber one point out of respect for his age but would show no such mercy to Covington. Khamzat Chimaev has also signed a contract with RAF wrestling league. Bo Nickal immediately responded to Chimaev's signing by challenging him.
Gilbert Burns has 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 respected competitors.
Burns, 39, finishes with a professional record of 22-10. Fighting out of Kill Cliff FC and representing Brazil, "Durinho" was ranked 13th in the welterweight division at the time of his retirement. Over his career he averaged 3.15 significant strikes landed per minute with 48 percent striking accuracy, while also showing consistent grappling output at 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Separately, in RAF wrestling competition, lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan put in a dominant performance against Urijah Faber, winning by a lopsided 13-1 score and at one point throwing Faber off the mat entirely. Tsarukyan had promised a strong showing before the match, and he delivered. Following the victory, he called out Colby Covington, stating he intends to win their potential matchup 10-0, adding that he gave Faber the single point out of respect for the veteran's age — mercy he said Covington should not expect.
The RAF wrestling landscape shifted further when Khamzat Chimaev, the number-one ranked middleweight in MMA with a 15-1 record, signed a contract with the league. "Borz," who competes out of Allstars Training Center and holds a top-10 pound-for-pound ranking, is one of MMA's most physically imposing grapplers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes with 60 percent striking accuracy across his combat sports career. His signing drew an immediate response from Bo Nickal, the 30-year-old American Top Team prospect who carries a 9-1 record and averages 3.1 takedowns and 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes. Nickal, known for his elite wrestling credentials, wasted no time issuing a public challenge to Chimaev.
Why it matters
- Burns's retirement creates an opening in a wide-open welterweight division ranked below the top ten
- Tsarukyan's callout of Covington signals his ambitions extend beyond his current combat sports lane
- Chimaev versus Nickal in a wrestling context would pit two of combat sports' most decorated grapplers against each other
