Gilbert Burns surprised a lot of people in his 2022 UFC loss to Khamzat Chimaev. Ahead of the fight, many people expected him to struggle with the undefeated Russian contender, but in the end, he pushed his opponent to the limit in a Fight of the Night-winning war.
In a recent interview with Home of Fight, Burns reflected on his razor-close loss to Chimaev. He explained that, initially, his valiant performance actually benefitted him in a lot of ways, as his notoriety and finances improved.
However, the new fame and money ultimately caused Burns to lose focus.
“I got a lot of fans, a lot of recognition, which is not a bad thing,” Burns said of the loss. “It was good. A lot of opportunities, a couple of sponsors, the fans recognized me everywhere. It built up my platform to a different level.
“Then you kind of get caught up in it a little bit. Making money, traveling, getting recognition. That took me slowly away from my path, from that ‘Durinho’ that trains hard, that wants to become a champion. It was not a bad thing to have that financial growth, but it kind of took me a little bit out of my path.
“Slowly, after those couple losses, it was actually very good for me to reflect on that, see what changed, and start correcting that a little bit.”
