Gilbert Burns offers to take short-notice middleweight fight

Long-time lightweight contender Gilbert Burns is now 2-0 in short-notice welterweight fights. Having discovered how well he performs in these short-notice fights, Burns is now angling to take another — in the middleweight division.

When Eric Spicely was forced out of his UFC Boston showdown with Brendan Allen, Burns promptly offered to step in and replace him — despite the fact that the fight will be contested a full 30 pounds above his former division. And in case you thought he was kidding, he assures he’s not.

I know a guy! And I’m not kidding https://t.co/x5jEj3xtaO

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 30, 2019

“I know a guy!” Burns wrote on Twitter, in response to a report about this UFC Boston shake-up. “And I’m not kidding.”

Gilbert Burns is just two days removed from a decision defeat of long-time welterweight contender Gunnar Nelson, which went down at UFC Copenhagen. He accepted the fight on short notice when his fellow Brazilian Thiago Alves was forced out of the matchup with Nelson. Prior to that, Burns took a short-notice opportunity against Alexey Kunchenko. He wound up handing the Russian his first pro loss, winning by unanimous decision. His next two most recent wins occurred in his native lightweight division.

Evidently, he’s keen to keep this momentum going. It remains to be seen, however,  if the UFC and the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission will allow him to fight so far north of his natural weight. The UFC Boston card doesn’t go down until October 18, so it’s possible the promotion could track down a natural middleweight to step in against Allen.

Whatever the case, Burns deserves some serious props for his willingness to fight heavier opponents on short notice.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/30/2019.