As a fan of mixed martial arts and the UFC, watching fighters ascend from being a martial artist who fights in the UFC into a top-ranked UFC fighter is an incredible accomplishment to witness. Gilbert Burns showcased how great a martial artist he is, using excellent poise with his grappling and displaying high boxing IQ, he unanimously won the UFC fan's over tonight.
In the first round of the UFC main event, Burns found Woodley's rhythm with his strikes, countered with a combo of punches, and then sat Woodley down with an uppercut. I was not expecting to see that happen. Woodley, wounded with a gash over his left eye, was able to recover enough to stay in the fight, but Burns took the momentum in his favor. At this moment, I, as a fan, believed that Woodley's veteran experience would help him reset the energy and steal the fight back in his favor. However, Gilbert Burns showed just how great he is by out grappling and out striking the former champion Woodley. Round after round. Burns was clearly in control of the fight. I had him winning the first four rounds.
The most impressive part of Gilbert's performance was the fifth round, Woodley knew that Gilbert had never fought in a five-round fight, so his game plan was to take Burns into deep water and finish him. Burns obliged his challenge and in the fifth round, asserted more pressure on Woodley. Leaving no doubt that he is capable of beating anyone in his division.
The final seconds of the bout came to an end, before the official announcement, everyone watching the fight knew Gilbert Burns was the winner, we found out Gilbert Burns is "the real deal" as we like to say.
Although, Gilbert Burns had to prove to the UFC that he could beat Tyron Woodley. What I learned about Gilbert Burns is that his goal wasn't to defeat Woodley. His ultimate goal is to become UFC Welterweight Champion, and his performance tonight was a showcase for anyone and everyone that questions who truly deserves the next title shot. When you are the sixth-ranked fighter in a stacked weight class, with keen dreams of becoming the champion, you have to take a high-risk fight and win convincingly. Tonight Gilbert Burns did just that. Gilbert Burns defeated Tyron Woodley, a man that is arguably the greatest UFC Welterweight Champion of all time. Humble in his Victory, Burns made it clear to the UFC competition that Kamara Usman vs. Gilbert Burns is the next big UFC Welterweight Championship fight.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out Naturl Grappler, leave a comment on what you make of the big win tonight for Gilbert Burns.