As can be seen from the game that beat Stephen Thompson in July 2021, Gilbert Burns has completely changed his fighting style and gradually evolved into a dangerous wrestler.
In preparation for the April 10 focus duel between UFC 273 and Kanzat Chimayev, Burns, in addition to continuing to train under russian wrestling coach Seid Saparov, hired two mysterious wrestlers from Russia.
Chimaev is a very good wrestler, he shows a lot of details in wrestling, so I had to hire two wrestlers from Russia to help me train. They asked to keep their names secret, so I couldn't reveal them. They taught me a lot about wrestling and made a big difference to my fighting style.
I've always liked one-legged wrestling, two-legged wrestling, body control, but Russian wrestlers have completely different details. You might think the Russians are strong, but they're not, but their technique is remarkable, a lot of it is about the control of the crotch and waist, and their technique is much ahead of American wrestlers. I benefited a lot from this preparation, I learned not only to defend against falls, but also to be aggressive, which made me feel that my defensive skills have improved a lot.
I think the reason these two Russian wrestlers asked me not to name them was because they were helping me prepare for a Chechen player, and I fully understand why. I also had this situation when I was helping Michael Chandler prepare for Charles Oliveira.
Burns certainly knew what challenge Chimayev would bring to himself. Chimayev, who has won 10 games, has won 4 games in the octagon cage, not only ending all 4 opponents, but also showing overwhelming strength in wrestling.
His ground skills are great, and his strength, his size is big, which is why I have to hire big players to help me prepare. Jiu-Jitsu is very focused on leverage, and when you're tall enough, it also creates more uncertainty for the game. So I had to hire big players, and I was training with Wagner Rocha, who really helped me improve my skills.
I've read a lot of information about Chimayev, who has excellent back control and is also very good at water twisting and Darth twisting. There is a video on the Internet of him subduing his opponent with an arm cross, but it is used from behind. Yes, I admit that he has a high level of jiu-jitsu and that he also has a high fighting IQ.
Burns said he had hoped for a better contract before agreeing to play Against Chimayev. But rather than getting bogged down in lengthy contract negotiations with the UFC, he prefers to take action to enhance his value and chips.
I'm on a good contract right now, I don't have anything to complain about, but I want a short-term contract. Before challenging Kamanu Usman for the title, I signed a contract for 5 games, but what I wanted more was a contract for 4 games. After playing this game with Chimayev, I have two more games to play.
Burns won another game after failing to challenge Usman. As for whether he can win the title challenge again after beating Chimayev, the Brazilian said it depends on his performance in this game and how he wins.
People are frantically touting Chimayev, they say, 'This kid is a complete killer, no one wants to fight him', I think this propaganda is very good. I can't deny that, he's brilliant and has a lot of prospects.
If I beat him this time, but it was very difficult to win, such as being knocked down by him or even almost being subdued by him, I think I would have to win at least one more game to get the title challenge, and this situation is the same for Chimaev. A lot of things can happen in the game, so first I have to concentrate on training hard and then win at my best so that I can have the capital to ask for another championship battle.