Burns currently trains alongside elite UFC talent, including Michael Chandler and Vicente Luque, at Kill Cliff FC under head coach Henri Hooft. Burns met Hooft 12 years ago backstage at UFC 133 when “Durinho” was cornering Vitor Belfort. At the time, Burns was still living in Brazil, but when he eventually moved to Florida four years later, he reconnected with Hooft and has evolved under his guidance ever since.
“Henri’s had a big impact on my career since the beginning,” Burns said. “My first connection with Henri was my first UFC fight as a cornerman. My first experience with the UFC, I was a cornerman for Vitor Belfort. Vitor fought Yoshihiro Akiyama in [2011] when I was in his corner. The main event was Rashad Evans against Tito Ortiz, and Henri was in the back cornering Rashad and that was when I first saw that guy. [He was] big, teaching good, I kind of liked his style. A little bit after, we moved to Florida and started training with Henri and I shared a lot of great moments with Henri. We cornered [Beflort] many fights, Cezar Ferreira with Henri, I cornered Vicente Luque with Henri, my brother with Henri. We have a great relationship. He’s a mentor, a great friend. He’s a guy that’s been leading me to all of my victories. This guy’s a hard-working man, he works harder than me sometimes. He’s the one that I look at and admire like, ‘That guy works harder than me, I gotta step up my game.’”
During his fight week interview with UFC.com, Burns recounted numerous times where Hooft showed up to training two hours early to go through his own workout and prepare gameplans for all his pupils. Rather than vocally instructing, Hooft even engages in sparring against Burns, which “Durinho” says helps him physically pick up on the lessons Hooft is trying to teach.
After a hard day’s work in the gym, Burns’ mixed martial arts lifestyle follows him back home, where his wife, Bruna, and brother, Herbert, are both professional combat sports athletes who understand what it takes to stay in elite shape year-round.
