A new era of contenders has arrived in the UFC. From the flyweight division to the heavyweights, every division is in between a resurgence where the veterans are fending off the new rising talents of the UFC from replacing them in the rankings. With the same intention, an up-and-coming 170-pounder is against a veteran on today’s fight night, when Michael Morales takes on Gilbert Burns in a five-round main event.

Ranked #8th in the division at 38 years old, the fight has quite the stakes for Burns, as he is on a three-fight losing streak after facing the top-tier opponents one after the other. A victory against Morales will mean the world for Burns, however, a loss might see him ravel down the championship ladder and make him a ghost of the past. Despite the setbacks, Burns in this fight week feels rejuvenated, saying, “I felt a little rejuvenated. I feel a little bit okay. Let’s right those wrongs.” While talking about the fight, UFC legend Michael Bisping issued a reality check for ‘Durinho’

On his YouTube channel, highlighting the setbacks Burns has faced in recent years, ‘The Count’ said: “Now everyone loves Gilbert Burns. He’s fought a who’s who of mixed martial arts, but the reality is he’s 38 years old. Last time out, he was out-grappled by Shawn Brady. He was beaten by Jack Della Maddalena. But he was winning that fight. Remember, he was winning that fight. He was able to take down Jack, control him a little bit, but he ate a knee in the third round. That put him down, and before that, he lost to Belal Muhammad, and essentially, he was fighting with one arm. Anyway, he’s back, and he says, and this is important, he says that this is the real version of him. Now, of course, all fighters say that when they’re on a losing streak, they try and reinvent themselves.

While talking about a new ‘re-invented’ version of ‘Durinho’, Bisping further added, “But Gilbert Burns says that the real version of him is back. Because the old version was distracted right pulled in many different directions, doing podcasts, doing sponsorship deals, doing appearances, you know, you get caught up in all the fame and all the attention. You start making money, and everyone wants to be your best friend. And then all of a sudden, you lose a few fights and no one gives a f** about you anymore. And you realize that hold on a minute, all these new fake friends they don’t give a f** about me.

Being the straight-on-point analyst that he is, Bisping noted down the real reasons why Gilbert Burns is a new fighter heading into this bout. This time, he has taken out all of the distractions from around him. There are no sponsors or appearances. The only place where Burns seems to appear is in a training gym, to further improve his quality and still stand strong with the rising competition.

Once a title challenger, he fought Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 and gave him a strong fight in the early rounds, as he was ultimately TKO’d by Usman in the third. But ‘Durinho’ claims that after this loss, things got personal for the UFC. He believes he was given declining opponents because he wasn’t liked by the promotion.

Gilbert Burns’ journey of glory and downfall in the UFC

“Oh wow, now UFC don’t like me.” This was Gilbert Burns’ realization when he was put straight against a declining Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson for his next fight after challenging for the 170-pound throne itself. The issue wasn’t with his opponent but the fact that he had to face a pure striker right after facing a top-tier wrestler in Usman.

Burns explained the issue, revealing that he was heartbroken by the decision. He said, “It took a little while to kind of process all that, but he gave me and it was crazy with the UFC too because right after I lost to Kamaru and Kamaru was a high-level wrestler champion. And then the next fight they threw me Wonder Boy like I was just knocked out by a wrestler, now they give me a great like striker right away.”

Evident as ever, Burns’ journey didn’t end with that loss. Through a series of wins and losses, Burns has remained determined to climb back into title contention, focusing on refining his skills and mental approach. His resilience and commitment to growth exemplify the spirit of a true competitor, keeping his championship aspirations alive, and facing the top competition and not shying away from any while at it.

Through his explosiveness and bravery in the Octagon, Burns is a fan favorite that the community might just love to see on top again. The question is, can he snap back from his three-fight losing streak and beat Michael Morales today? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.