Outside Source
The UFC 287 results of the co-main event battle between Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns left one fighter eyeing a title shot, while the other retired.
Masvidal and Burns each came into UFC 287 needing a victory. Masvidal had lost three consecutive bouts, albeit two of those in championship challenges and the other to the current No. 2 contender. Meanwhile, Burns had lost two of his last four, including also challenging for the championship.
Heading into the bout, UFC president Dana White said that should Masvidal defeat Burns and current UFC welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards beat No. 2 ranked Colby Covington, Masvidal would then get the next shot at Edwards. Burns had other plans, and he set them in motion in Miami.
Donald Trump’s surprise visit at UFC 287 with Dana White
How the Masvidal vs. Burns fight played out
Though the early goings of the fight were measured, Burns gained steam throughout the opening frame. He continually found a home for his right hand, as Masvidal was primarily left to an occasional leg kick. Burns landed a big right hand, which he followed with a takedown and ground and pound to finish strong, easily winning the frame.
Burns opened the second round with another takedown and immediately began working inside Masvidal’s closed guard. He landed a few shots here and then, but Masvidal kept a tight guard and held Burns close.
Try as he might, Masvidal was unable to escape Burns’s clutches, only managing to gain his feet with about one minute left in the second round. The second frame was all about Burns’s dominating control.
Burns used a sharp jab and his strong right hand to assert control in the final frame. The two then kept it close for the next couple of minutes with some sharp exchanges, but Burns again took Masvidal to canvas with just over a minute left in the fight. Masvidal scrambled, trying to find a way out from under the Brazilian, but he couldn’t escape Burns’s clutches.
It wasn’t as exciting of a fight as Masvidal’s Miami fans were hoping for, and it certainly wasn’t the result they wanted, as Burns took a unanimous nod from the judges with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.
UFC 187 post mortem: Burns eyes title shot; Masvidal retires
With a dominant victory in the bag, Burns minced no words in his post-fight comments to interviewer Joe Rogan.
“Leon Edwards, Colby Covington, whoever is holding that belt, I’m coming for you! I’m not taking no other fight, only the title fight!”
Knowing what was coming, Rogan then brought Masvidal to the mic. Gamebred briefly spoke in Spanish to his fans before confirming what we all thought was coming.
“Sometimes your favorite basketball player don’t have that three-pointer no more. Your favorite quarterback loses that rifle. I don’t feel the same when I get in here no more,” Masvidal said.
“It’s been a long 20 years. UFC came (to Miami) 20 years ago and it inspired me to chase this dream for 20 years, 50-some fights later, hoping it inspired somebody in here to go fight for theirs, no matter what it is.”
With former U.S. President Donald Trump sitting cageside to witness his final fight, Masvidal, a longtime Trump supporter, couldn’t let that fact slide by him.
“Also, I wanna say, greatest president in the history of the world sitting right there. I love that guy.”
Masvidal then led the crowd in a “Let’s go Brandon!” chant, a slam of current U.S. President Joe Biden, before exiting the Octagon for the final time with his family by his side.
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This article first appeared at News | MMAWeekly.com
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