Gilbert Burns issues statement following decision win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264

UFC welterweight title contender Gilbert Burns issued a statement following his unanimous decision win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264.

Burns entered the fight against Thompson as the slight underdog, but he picked up the upset victory as he was able to take down and control Thompson on the ground to win a unanimous decision on all three of the judges’ scorecards. Following a TKO loss to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman earlier this year at UFC 258, Burns needed to bounce back with a win over Thompson to keep his No. 2 ranking and he did just that.

While it wasn’t the most impressive victory on the card, and UFC president Dana White admitted following the event that he wasn’t impressed with the fight, it was still a huge win for Burns over a well-respected fighter in Thompson who many were talking about potentially fighting Usman for the belt if he beat Burns. Instead, Burns got the win, and following UFC 264, he took to his social media to react to defeating “Wonderboy.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRLuEZ2pEu8/

All Glory to God! Thanks so much to my family and shoutout to my team to make me ready and a huge shoutout to all my sponsors! – – Gloria a Deus por essa vitória! Agradecimentos especiais, Família, time e patrocinadores!

Following the win over Thompson, Burns called out several of the top welterweights in the UFC including Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, and Leon Edwards, and it’s certainly possible that he gets the chance to face one of those elite fighters in his next outing. While it wasn’t the most impressive win of Burns’ UFC career, a win is a win, and after taking out a top-10 fighter in Thompson, it should set Burns up for another fight against a top-ranked foe.

What do you think is next for Gilbert Burns following his decision win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264?