UFC 258: Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

Humble beginnings is an understatement when it comes to Gilbert “Durinho” Burns. Surging from the streets of Brazil to taking the Mixed Martial Arts world by storm. Setting himself up for a showdown against non-other than his teammate, The welterweight king Kamaru Usman in collision course for all the marbles. But there’s more to the story of “Durinho”…

The journey started for Burns as his father was a car mechanic. He was doing his best to secure a better life for his 12-year-old son to enjoy the finer things in life. Fixing cars wasn’t going to cut it. So one day, he decided to make a trade that would change the family’s name forever.

Enters the car repair shop a man who had unconditional love for the sport of Jiu-Jitsu. Burns sr offered the man a free repair for a Jiu-Jitsu lesson for his son, not knowing where it could lead. The man obliged.

It was love at first sight for Burns, fascinated by the art of snatching limbs, giving him a new passion and craft to master. But still, not knowing where it was going to lead the young Brazilian.

It was evident that the young man from Rio De Janeiro wasn’t your typical Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. At a very young age, he was making noise in the regional scene, quickly establishing himself as the future of BJJ.

At just 23 years of age, Gilbert Burns was your Brazilian cup champion, Brazilian national champion, No-Gi world champion, Abu Dhabi pro champion, and the world cup champion. That year was monumental for “Durinho.” Still, he wasn’t satisfied with being a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion as he felt that he was destined for something far greater.

“The universe is always speaking to us… Sending us little messages, causing coincidences and serendipities, reminding us to stop, to look around, to believe in something else, something more.”
-Nancy Thayer

Three days after becoming a world champion in Jiu-Jitsu, Burns receives a spontaneous call from Mixed Martial Arts royalty, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort, asking Burns if he would help him with his ground game in preparation for his upcoming UFC main event fight. Grinning from ear to ear, Burns was.

Following the first session with Vitor Belfort, something clicked in the mind of “Durinho.” After seeing his ground skills being light years ahead of UFC greats, it was a done deal. Gilbert had one goal in mind, UFC gold.

After setting his sights on becoming a fully developed Mixed Martial Artist, Burns recognized that he needed to leave his comfort zone to get the proper guidance when it comes to developing the missing link in his game, world-class striking.

When it comes to mastering the beautiful violence of striking, Henri Hooft is undoubtedly one of the greatest minds. The legendary Dutch Kickboxer has built an empire in South Florida, coaching the best fighters in the world the art of feints, setups to close the show with what he knows best, beautiful violence. And the results spoke for themselves.

Burns took a massive leap of faith by traveling to Florida, with nothing but a dream and a vision, leaving his family and friends to get the proper guidance from Hooft, who eventually became more of a father figure to Burns.

2012 was the year. Burns was on the mats like a sponge, trying to absorb the rich knowledge from legends, strikers, decorated wrestlers. And the most decorated wrestler in the room was “The Nigerian Nightmare” Kamaru Usman.

“Iron sharpens iron.”

In a room full of killers, Usman and Burns had some legendary sparring sessions. Although both men were still green when it came to the fight game’s complete aspects, Usman got his confidence from his unstoppable relentless chain wrestling pressure. While Burns, on the other hand, light years ahead of the pact with not just being the best Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in the gym, but in the sport, period.

Usman and Burns developed a solid relationship throughout the years, helping one another while sharing the same dream of reigning supreme in the most prominent organization of all, the UFC.

Almost two years after training with the upper echelon of the sport, Burns was finally making the prestigious walk to the octagon, riding a momentum tide of an undefeated 7-0 record, finishing all his fights inside the first round. The world was watching, anticipating what the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion had to offer. And just like that, dominance was on full display.

The momentum kept rising. And just when Burns thought that things couldn’t get any sweeter, his teammate Kamaru Usman made his long-awaited UFC debut for the world to witness the blood, sweat, and tears both men shed behind closed doors transcend into the world’s biggest stage.

While Burns was depleting his body to make the lightweight limit, it was evident that he was a natural welterweight, just like his teammate, Kamaru Usman.

The lightweight cut was hindering the performances of the Brazilian. Which led to him have a rocky ride at lightweight with a record of 6-3 in the promotion.

While Burns was still trying to find the sweet spot, Usman was climbing the welterweight division ranks, racking nine wins in a row to grant himself a shot at welterweight king Tyrone Woodley.

In preparation for Usman’s title fight, “Durinho” was by his side, preparing him for the most significant moment of his career. And just like that, Kamaru Usman is the new welterweight king.

Following Usman’s successful title hunt, it was around the same time where Burns found what was stopping him from making the final jump into competing with the elites. It was the weight cut. Coach Henri Hooft said it all along, Gilbert Burns should’ve never competed at lightweight. He’s a natural welterweight, a monstrous welterweight.

Burns made the jump in weight. And bodies started falling left and right.

Welterweight Burns was not the same fighter. Significant rise in power, stamina, and all questions about whether Burns can take a shot or not became non-existent.

Burns was running through opponents, leaving the UFC with no option but to give him a top-five adversary. Former title challenger Demian Maia stepped up to take on the surging Brazilian to test his medal on the quest to title aspirations.

Kamaru Usman faced Maia the year prior, shutting him down in a dominant five-round decision. Burns was keen on outdoing his teammate. He did just that by Knocking out Maia in under three minutes, sending a message to the entire division that he is a force to be reckoned with.

Usman sensed danger. Seeing his teammate being one fight away from a title shot made the dynamic for both different. Still, both men continued to train under one roof while the tension was slowly but surely rising.

Burns was hungry, realizing that it was inevitable that he was months away from standing across his teammate Usman. However, it won’t be in the gym. A steel cage would be the setting where both men will square of, trying to crush one another’s dream. It was Bittersweet for both men, but nothing was stopping Burns from fulfilling his dream.

“There can only be one king.”

Gilbert got matched up with the former welterweight king Tyron Woodley who lost his title in his last outing at the hands of Kamaru Usman. Another chance for Gilbert not just to win but to outdo his teammate once again.

Not only did Burns outdo his teammate in the fashion of beating Woodley, but he also grabbed the mic post-fight and stared at the camera, demanding a shot at his teammate and welterweight king. “I love the champ, my teammate Kamaru Usman, but I’m next,” he said.

There was no going back, teammates no more. Right after the callout, Usman decided to change camps by heading to Denver. The move was inevitable as Usman had been contemplating leaving the gym as he saw welterweights in his gym licking their lips as they’re climbing the ranks.

There’s one question that everyone wants to know the answer to. Who was getting the better of the other in sparring for all those years? When Usman was asked, he broke the code of “what happens in the gym, stays in the gym” by answering with a smile on his face “he knows what’s going to happen.” The question turned to Burns, his reply was, “he said that I know? Well, he knows what’s up.”
So the real question is, who’s telling the truth? We’ll find out this Saturday as Gilbert Burns clashes with Kamaru Usman for all bragging rights live on Pay-Per-View.