Gilbert Burns has officially retired from MMA competition following a recent UFC event. The announcement came as part of broader event coverage that included several notable performances. Mike Malott secured a victory that will place him in the top 15 welterweight rankings, though questions remain about his potential against elite-level competition. The post also noted that Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber 13-1 in a RAF wrestling match and immediately called out Colby Covington afterward. RAF also announced the signing of Khamzat Chimaev, which prompted an immediate challenge from Bo Nickal.
Gilbert Burns has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following a recent UFC event, bringing an end to a professional career that saw the Brazilian welterweight become one of the division's most recognizable competitors.
Burns, known as "Durinho," finishes his career with a record of 22 wins and 10 losses. The 39-year-old from Brazil, who trained out of Kill Cliff FC, competed as a welterweight and held the number 13 ranking in the division at the time of his retirement. Standing five-foot-ten with a 71-inch reach, Burns was a well-rounded fighter who averaged 3.15 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy, while also contributing on the mat with 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Elsewhere in the coverage surrounding the same event, Mike Malott earned a victory expected to move him into the welterweight top 15, though the report noted lingering questions about how he would fare against higher-level opposition.
Why it matters
- Burns departs as a ranked welterweight, leaving an opening at number 13 that could reshuffle the division's lower tier.
- Khamzat Chimaev, the number one-ranked middleweight and number 10 pound-for-pound fighter carrying a 15-1 record, was reported to have signed with a promotion called RAF, a move that drew an immediate callout from Bo Nickal.
- Nickal, who holds a 9-1 record and averages an exceptional 3.1 takedowns and 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes, presents a credible grappling threat to Chimaev, whose own wrestling output sits at 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes at 60 percent striking accuracy.
- The reported RAF signing of Chimaev, combined with Nickal's challenge, signals a potential matchup with significant implications across the middleweight landscape.
