A decorated grappler who was always ticketed to be a contender, but didn’t quite get there initially, Burns has used the last 15 months to transform himself into one of the most interesting names in the welterweight division.
During that time, the 33-year-old Brazilian has gone 4-0, collecting a pair of wins at lightweight before becoming a “super sub” in the 170-pound ranks, stepping in on short notice in back-to-back victories over Aleksei Kunchenko and Gunnar Nelson. His current run of success — and the continued ascent of the last man to beat him, Dan Hooker — has reframed how people view Burns’ UFC career to date and illuminates the fact that the multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion has been on the cusp of contention for several years and finally seems to be putting it all together.
Relocating to welterweight has paid tremendous dividends for Burns, who never missed weight during his lightweight days, but always faced a challenging cut to make the 155-pound limit. He’s quick and strong, with an outstanding top control game and enough pop in his hands to force opponents from selling out to deny takedowns and clinch attempts.
This weekend will be a major test for Burns, though, as he steps into the Octagon against two-time title challenger and resurgent contender Demian Maia, who entered 2019 on a three-fight losing streak and heads into his first fight of 2020 having earned three straight victories. As a former middleweight, Maia has the size and strength to potentially out-muscle Burns, and his grappling ability is second-to-none in the UFC.
Handing Kunchenko his first professional loss on short notice was a breakthrough moment that didn’t garner enough attention, and venturing to Copenhagen and out-working the highly regarded Nelson was another tremendous showing. But if Burns goes to Brasilia, halts Maia’s late-career comeback, and adds a fifth straight victory to his record, people will have no choice but to recognize the South Florida-based upstart as a legitimate Top 10 welterweight and a bona fide threat in the 170-pound weight class.
