Gabriel Almeida submitted Gilbert Burns with a first-round heel hook at UFC BJJ 12 in Las Vegas, handing Burns his first defeat under the UFC BJJ banner. Burns shot for an early takedown and escaped a guillotine attempt but could do little from top position, before Almeida worked to the top, hunted the neck and transitioned to the leg for the finish. Burns had won his UFC BJJ debut in June with a rear-naked choke over Horlando Monteiro and came in less than a month after a tech fall loss to Khamzat Chimaev under wrestling rules at RAF.
Gabriel Almeida submitted Gilbert Burns with a first-round heel hook at UFC BJJ 12 in Las Vegas, handing the Brazilian veteran his first loss under the UFC BJJ banner.
Burns shot for an early takedown and escaped a guillotine attempt, but he found little to work with once he was on top. Almeida then worked his way to the top position, hunted the neck and transitioned to the leg for the finish.
Burns, 40, is a Brazilian fighter with a 22-10 professional MMA record who trains with Kill Cliff FC. His MMA numbers underline his grappling-first style: he averages 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 3.15 significant strikes landed per minute at 48 percent accuracy. He had won his UFC BJJ debut in June with a rear-naked choke over Horlando Monteiro, so Almeida's heel hook ends a perfect start to his run in the format.
The defeat also arrives on a short turnaround. Burns came into the bout less than a month after a tech fall loss to Khamzat Chimaev under wrestling rules at RAF.
Chimaev, 32, represents the United Arab Emirates and trains out of Allstars Training Center. He is 15-1 in MMA and ranked number one at middleweight and tenth in the pound-for-pound rankings. His takedown average of 5.29 per 15 minutes and 60 percent striking accuracy show why his wrestling has been such a problem for opponents.
Why it matters
- Burns' unbeaten mark under the UFC BJJ banner ends after one win and one loss.
- Two defeats in under a month, one on the mat against Chimaev and one on the submission grappling stage, mark a rough stretch for a veteran who built his name on grappling.
- Almeida's heel hook finish shows that leg attacks can end a fight quickly in this format, even against an opponent as experienced as Burns.
