Belal Muhammad questions if Gilbert Burns has desire to make UFC title run: “Is he still motivated in there?”

Belal Muhammad wonders just how motivated Gilbert Burns is coming off back-to-back losses.

Burns is hoping to return to title contention before it’s time for him to hang up his gloves. After securing wins over Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal, “Durinho” set himself up for a title eliminator against Belal Muhammad, but he fell short via unanimous decision. When Burns tried to rebound from the defeat, he was knocked out by Jack Della Maddalena.

This Saturday, Burns will have a chance to get back in the win column when he faces Sean Brady at UFC Vegas 97. Ahead of the fight, Muhammad is wondering if the Brazilian bruiser has the will to put together a string of key wins.

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Belal Muhammad on Gilbert Burns’ Desire to Win

Gilbert Burns is 38 years old and time is slipping on his bid to become a UFC champion. “Durinho” has insisted that he’s motivated to make a run at the welterweight title, but current champion Belal Muhammad isn’t so sure that the desire is truly there. Here’s what he said on the “Anik & Florian Podcast.”

“For Burns, he was looking good until he got finished [against Jack Della Maddalena],” Muhammad said. “So, I think it just comes now to how hungry is Burns? Is he still motivated in there? He’s talking about, ‘Yeah, I wanna fight Usman or Leon next,’ but he just doesn’t seem like the same confident guy that, ‘I could still chase the title, I’m still there,’ because even if he wins, Jack Della’s still ahead of him for the title shot, and you still know you’ve got a long way to go.”

Defeating Sean Brady would be a significant first step for Burns on his road back to championship contention. It may be a long road for the Brazilian, but it would be quite the story if he can overcome the odds and hold UFC gold before he wraps up his pro MMA career.

If you use any quotes in this article, please leave a H/T to BJPenn.com for the transcription of the “Anik & Florian Podcast.”