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USA Today
01-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Gilbert Burns on Michael Morales UFC fight: 'I saw that coming, and I like it'
Gilbert Burns on Michael Morales UFC fight: 'I saw that coming, and I like it' Gilbert Burns is entering UFC Fight Night 256 with a chip on his shoulder. Burns (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) takes on rising undefeated welterweight Michael Morales (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in the May 17 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+). The former title challenger will look to snap a three-fight losing skid, most recently a unanimous decision to Sean Brady in the UFC Fight Night 242 headliner this past September. Meanwhile, Morales has finished three of his first five UFC fights, and is coming off a first-round, Performance of the Night TKO of Neil Magny at UFC on ESPN 62. Burns has no issue with the matchmaking, but hopes he can show a better account of himself against Morales. "I'm coming from three losses – not much to complain (about). I just want to go out there and show up and perform," Burns told MMA Junkie Radio. "I think that I lacked a little bit in my last fight. I had a little problem with the weight, with the recovery. I wasn't able to find a way to win it, but not taking anything away from Sean Brady – the guy was there and he did his thing. But I want to show up this time. I want to put all the work there, like controlling the weight now better. So I just want to go out there and put on a show. I knew that me being a veteran, being in the UFC for so long, I knew it was going to be one of the up-and-coming guys. "My guess was it was going to be Carlos Prates or Michael Morales, and it ended up being Michael Morales. I saw that coming, and I like it. It's always me proving to myself that I belong at the top of the division, and when I see these guys, I see a very athletic guy, super young, confident, long. He has a 79-inch reach. His reach is so big for the division. I just think it's a good test. The guy has been there, he's done that, he's fought a couple of good guys. People always count out Neil Magny, but other than Neil Magny, he fought Max Griffin who's a very tough opponent. He beat Jake Matthews. He fought on the Contender Series, so he keeps showing up, he keeps doing his thing, and eventually he deserves a shot at the top 10." "Durinho" relishes the opportunity to hand Morales his first-career loss, especially when he's facing plenty of doubters himself. "It's always fun, especially where I'm at now, people going, 'Oh, he's going downhill.' I like it," Burns said. "I like to be in that position and fighting another super guy who's coming, undefeated, 17-0, 25 years old, very strong, this and that. I like it. For me, it's always fun: OK, let's test these guys."
USA Today
13-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales shifts from UFC 315 to UFC Fight Night 256 headliner
Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales has shifted events yet again and will now serve as a headliner. Burns was slated to take on Morales in Saturday's UFC 314 card in Miami before moving to UFC 315 on May 10 in Montreal. Now the pair have been rebooked for a week later, but this time to main event UFC Fight Night 256 May 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+). A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report from UFC Espanol's Jacque Enriquez on Friday, and the UFC made a formal announcement Saturday during the UFC 314 main card broadcast. Former title challenger Burns (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) will look to snap a three-fight losing skid, where he most recently lost a unanimous decision to Sean Brady in the UFC Fight Night 242 headliner this past September. 'Durinho' hasn't won a fight since defeating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 in April 2023. Undefeated Morales (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has an opportunity to enter the upper echelon of the welterweight after finishing three of his first five UFC fights. He is coming off a first-round, Performance of the Night TKO of Neil Magny at UFC on ESPN 62. The latest UFC Fight Night 256 lineup now includes: Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales Ismail Naurdiev vs. JunYong Park Tainara Lisboa vs. Luana Santos Carlos Hernandez vs. HyunSung Park Rodolfo Bellato vs. Paul Craig Tecia Pennington vs. Luana Pinheiro Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Dustin Stoltzfus Denise Gomes vs. Elise Reed For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 256.
USA Today
19-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC free fight: Sean Brady impresses with dominant performance vs. Gilbert Burns
Back in September, Sean Brady showed the world why he's considered to be one of the top welterweights in the world. In the main event of UFC Fight Night 242 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) took on former title challenger Gilbert Burns. The fight was virtually one-way traffic, as Brady only lost one round on one of the official scorecards, winning a clear unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45). The win marked back-to-back for Brady after suffering his first professional loss to now-champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 280. It's a fight he wants to get back, and aims to get one step closer to a rematch by taking on Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 255 on March 22. If promotionally-ranked No. 5 Brady can get past the former champ in the main event at The O2 in London, he'll not only have a win over the current No. 1-ranked fighter, but a compelling argument to get the next title shot. Check out the full replay of Brady's performance against Burns in the video above ahead of UFC Fight Night 255. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.
