Gilbert Burns has announced his retirement following UFC Winnipeg, marking the end of his MMA career. Mike Malott is expected to enter the top-15 welterweight rankings after his victory, though the analyst expresses doubt about Malott's potential against elite competition in the new generation of top welterweights. The post also mentions that the Guskov-Blachowicz fight was canceled but replaced with Ibo Baraniewski as an opponent. Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber 13-1 in RAF wrestling and afterward called out Colby Covington, promising to dominate 10-0. Khamzat Chimaev has signed with RAF, prompting an immediate callout from Bo Nickal.
Gilbert Burns announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following UFC Winnipeg, closing the book on a career that saw him come within reach of UFC welterweight gold. Separately, a pair of significant middleweight developments emerged from the same event weekend, as Khamzat Chimaev signed with RAF and Bo Nickal immediately responded with a callout.
Burns, 39, ends his career with a record of 22-10. The Brazilian out of Kill Cliff FC spent years as one of the welterweight division's most dangerous competitors, landing 3.15 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy while also threatening with 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes. He was ranked 13th in the division at the time of his retirement. Teammate and training support behind him, he exits the sport having pushed the very best welterweights in the world to their limits.
Mike Malott's victory at UFC Winnipeg is expected to push him into the welterweight top 15, though analysts have tempered expectations about how he might fare against the upper tier of the division's newer wave of contenders.
In other results from the event, the scheduled Guskov-Blachowicz bout was canceled, with Ibo Baraniewski stepping in as a replacement opponent.
Why it matters
- Chimaev, 32, carries a 15-1 record and sits ranked first in the middleweight division, making his RAF signing a significant organizational move
- Bo Nickal, 9-1 with a 76-inch reach and a remarkable 61 percent striking accuracy, instantly positioned himself as the next challenger by calling out Chimaev publicly
- Nickal's output of 3.1 takedowns and 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes sets up a potential clash of elite grapplers at the top of middleweight
- Arman Tsarukyan dominated Urijah Faber 13-1 in RAF wrestling competition and called out Colby Covington following the bout
