We’re so proud of our team! Find out how they’ve been doing, as well as what else has been going on at our gym lately.
Gilbert Burns thinks Demian Maia is making a mistake by taking a fight against him.
Burns (17-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) faces Maia (28-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC), this Saturday in the UFC on ESPN+ 28 co-main event in an intriguing style matchup between two of the most accomplished grapplers in the sport.
But Burns, who said he’s happy to go the ground if need be, thinks the difference in the fight will be his striking.
“I’m confident of victory,” Burns told MMA Junkie. “I think I have more than enough tools to defeat Demian. I feel my striking is more developed. I have faith in my high-level jiu-jitsu. I actively compete. It’s up to date. I see myself having a dominant win.
“It took a while for him to agree to face me, but he did eventually. I feel he’s very tough and experienced. This fight makes a lot of sense to me. A dominant win would place me in the top-6. It’s a high-risk fight for him. My jiu-jitsu is just as good and I do better in striking, so he’s taking a big risk.”
Training out of Sanford Mixed Martial Arts in Florida, Burns has won his last four in a row, and is 2-0 since moving up to 170 pounds from his previous home at lightweight. He sees the fight with former UFC welterweight title challenger and 31 UFC-fight veteran Maia as a changing of the guard.
“This is a clash of generations,” Burns said. “I belong to a newer breed. I know that he only plans to fight two times more. I see myself as continuing Demian’s jiu-jitsu legacy. Except my style is improved. We combine boxing and wrestling. He made his mark in the sport, but now is my turn.”
UFC on ESPN+ 28 takes place at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from April 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for April. At the bottom of the post, let us know...
Fighters are often criticized for failing to prioritize their financial interests in their MMA careers, but no such accusation can be made toward Irish prospect Paul Hughes. Hughes (11-1), a former Cage Warriors champion, just went through the process of free agency and had bids on the table from...
We want to make sure that Ludus MMA is the right fit for you before asking you to commit to a membership.
That’s why we’d like to offer you a FREE ONE-DAY PASS to our gym.
With your FREE PASS, you can: