Gilbert Burns spoiled Jorge Masvidal’s homecoming at UFC 287. With a unanimous victory, Burns has sent Masvidal into retirement as well. Despite all that, Colby Covington does not think that Burns should be in line for the title contention.
Burns came to all guns blazing against Masvidal in the co-main event of UFC 287. Moving on from a brisk first round, he trumped Masvidal in almost every aspect. ‘Durinho’ ensured Masvidal’s retirement with a dominant victory.
Colby Covington does not see Burns as a title contender
However, Colby was not impressed to the extent of considering him as a title contender. ‘Chaos’ feels Burns still needs to prove himself. Maybe one or two more fights down the line will do the trick. In an interview with submission radio, he disdainfully turned down all the talks regarding Burns as a title contender.
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The American fighter mocked Masvidal in the process. Drawing reference to Masvidal’s cult moniker ‘Street Jesus’, Colby called him “Street Judas”. And defeating Masvidal should not be a strong case for any fighters. This particular statement shocked a lot of fans.
He took a lot of backlash with his next statement as well. Colby stated that Burns was getting hyped up as the king of Brazil. However, he is the one who runs Brazil. This irked several fans for a specific reason. Back in 2017, after defeating Demian Maia in Sao Paulo, Colby went on a baffling rant, calling Brazil a “dump.”
Fans did not take kindly to Colby’s comments
Fans took brutal digs at Colby after his statements. Some pointed out the hypocrisy in his statement, saying Colby’s last win in the UFC came against Masvidal. Yet he is disregarding Burns for this victory.
Some fans even went on to connect political dots. Colby has been very vocal about his support for Donald Trump. The former US president was in attendance at UFC 287 as well. It is no secret that the UFC boss Dana White is tight with Trump. One fan alluded to this particular dynamic that Colby himself is getting an unfair advantage for being a Trump advocate.
Then again, Dana White earlier explained his reasoning for lining up Colby as the title contender. While fans and the fighters themselves were incensed about someone like Belal Muhammad being left out, White felt Colby did due diligence. He mentioned that Colby appeared as the alternative in the Edwards Vs Usman 2 fight, on very short notice. The way he cut weight and got ready goes to show that he is worthy of the shot.
Do you think Colby was right to disregard Burns in such a fashion? Do you think Colby himself deserves the spot for number one title contender?
