Gilbert Burns says UFC wants him to fight Demian Maia in Brazil

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns says the UFC has offered him a fight against the legend Demian Maia next March in Brazil.

Burns spoke to MMA journalist Drake Riggs following his recent grappling match against Craig Jones and told the scribe the UFC wants him to fight Maia next. Here’s what Burns said.

Caught up with Gilbert Burns after his match with Craig Jones at #SUG10.

He said he has been offered a co-main event spot against Demian Maia for #UFCBrasilia on March 14. Not official yet but that's the direction things are heading in. Interview coming soon.

— Drake Riggs (@DrakeRiggs_) December 23, 2019

“Caught up with Gilbert Burns after his match with Craig Jones at #SUG10. He said he has been offered a co-main event spot against Demian Maia for #UFCBrasilia on March 14. Not official yet but that’s the direction things are heading in. Interview coming soon.”

If this fight indeed ends up being booked, it would feature two of the most talented and successful grapplers in the UFC welterweight division going against each other.

Burns (17-3) has an overall record of 10-3 inside the Octagon but he has really picked things up as of late, winning six of his last seven fights overall including his last four straight. Since moving up to welterweight this past summer, Burns has defeated Alexey Kunchneko and Gunnar Nelson to emerge as one of the top-15 welterweights on the UFC roster. At 33 years of age, he seems to be peaking as an MMA fighter.

Maia (28-9) is one of the all-time winningest welterweights and middleweights in UFC history. He has a 22-9 overall record in the UFC since making his promotional debut back in 2007 and right now he is riding a three-fight win streak with victories over Ben Askren, Anthony Rocco Martin, and Lyman Good. Even though Maia is 42 years old, he is still fighting at an elite level and would mark Burns’ best opponent in the UFC to date.

UFC Fight Night 170 takes place Saturday, March 14 at Ginasiio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil.

Would you be interested in seeing a potential matchup between welterweight grappling studs Gilbert Burns and Demian Maia?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/23/2019.