Gilbert Burns has announced his retirement from competition. At the recent UFC event, Mike Malott secured a win that will move him into the top 15 welterweight rankings, though the analyst doubts his potential against elite competition. Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber 13-1 in RAF wrestling, fulfilling his promise to throw Faber into the crowd and calling out Colby Covington afterward. Tsarukyan vowed to achieve a 10-0 victory against Covington and stated everyone has forgotten about Covington as a fighter, promising to make them forget him as a wrestler too. Khamzat Chimaev has also signed with RAF, with Bo Nickal immediately challenging him.
Gilbert Burns has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts competition, closing out 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 and was ranked 13th in the welterweight division at the time of his announcement. Fighting out of Kill Cliff FC, the orthodox striker stood five-foot-ten with a 71-inch reach and averaged 3.15 significant strikes per minute over his career, posting a 48 percent striking accuracy alongside 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes. A submission threat throughout his tenure, Burns represented Brazil at the highest level of the sport for well over a decade.
Elsewhere, Mike Malott secured a welterweight victory at the recent UFC event, a result analysts expect will push him into the top 15 of the division, though questions remain about how he would fare against elite-level opposition.
In Russia's RAF promotion, Arman Tsarukyan dominated Urijah Faber in a wrestling match, defeating him 13-1. Tsarukyan made good on a pre-match promise to throw Faber into the crowd and afterward called out Colby Covington, vowing a 10-0 victory and claiming that everyone has already forgotten Covington as a fighter. Tsarukyan added that he intends to make them forget Covington as a wrestler as well.
Khamzat Chimaev, the number-one-ranked middleweight in the UFC and number 10 in the pound-for-pound standings, has also signed with RAF. The 32-year-old fighting out of Allstars Training Center carries a 15-1 record and averages an imposing 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 60 percent striking accuracy. Bo Nickal, the 9-1 American Top Team product who stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, immediately issued a challenge to Chimaev following the signing announcement.
Why it matters
- Burns's retirement removes a veteran gatekeeper from the welterweight top 15, reshaping the division's lower rankings
- Tsarukyan's callout of Covington adds a cross-promotional wrestling angle to his already rising MMA profile
- Chimaev's RAF signing and Nickal's instant challenge sets up a compelling matchup between two of combat sports' most dominant grapplers
