Outside Source
Less than two months after announcing his retirement from the Octagon at age 39, on the heels of his fifth consecutive loss—a knockout to Mike Malott—“Durinho” Burns made a stylish comeback at UFC BJJ 9 on Thursday. The elder statesman grappler tapped out Brazilian Horlando Monteiro in just 1:22 seconds with a slick rear-naked choke.
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Burns started the fight being taken down by his opponent, but seemed to welcome that as he had a plan. “Durinho” quickly reversed the position and took Monteiro’s back, where he secured the choke that ended the fight. It marked his first victory on the grappling mats since he beat Rafael Lovato Jr. in a special match in 2021.
There are a lot of good jiu-jitsu fighters who would love to compete
Elated in victory, Burns was able to take off some of the pressure on his shoulders coming from five straight defeats in a cage. He did not go so far as to say he wanted to return to the confines of MMA, but clearly indicated he enjoyed this experience and wishes to return sooner than later.
“I’m so happy,” Burns gushed after getting his hand raised. “Oh my god! It’s been a while since I’ve had a win, so it’s so good to be here, putting my jiu-jitsu to the test.”
“Durinho” continued, “I’m ready to fight for the belt or have some great super fights for you guys. Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz, Demian Maia, Kron Gracie, Benson Henderson, Rafael dos Anjos, Michael Chiesa, Colby Covington, Dustin Poirier. There are a lot of good jiu-jitsu fighters who would love to compete. Let’s put on a show!”
A UFC fighter spanning from 2014 to 2026, Burns made his way there by becoming a world jiu-jitsu champion in 2011 after outpointing the aforementioned Gracie in 2011. Initially starting his tenure as a welterweight, he quickly returned to lightweight and had mixed success. It all came to a head in 2021 when as a surging welterweight on a six-fight win streak, Burns vied for the 170-pound throne. While he had his moments against champ Kamaru Usman, even dropping him early, Usman rallied to put him away early in the third frame.
Following that, Burns defeated Stephen Thompson and had the most emblematic fight of his career, where, even though he was defeated by Khamzat Chimaev, he delivered what many called the toughest fight of the then-undefeated Chechen’s career. After coming up short to Chimaev, “Durinho” defeated Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal, but soon entered a series of five consecutive losses, culminating in his retirement from this particular sport.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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