Herbert Burns impressed in his UFC debut by making quick work of Nate Landwehr.
Kicking off the UFC Raleigh card on Saturday night at the PNC Arena was a battle of Octagon newcomers. Herbert Burns, brother of UFC lightweight Gilbert Burns, had won his way into the promotion on Dana White’s Contender Series. Nate Landwehr, meanwhile, was a former M-1 champion looking to make a big splash in his own debut.
The featherweight pairing also served as a classic striker vs. grappler bout.
Here is the play by play of how the action went down:
Round 1:
Burns opened the action with a stiff jab and a hard leg kick that backed Landwehr up. He missed a high kick and fell on the ground. The Tennessee native refused to go down to Burns guard and allowed him back up. Burns shot in for a takedown and took the former M-1 Global featherweight champion down. While Landwehr attempted to scramble up, Burns locked in a very tight D’Arce choke. Somehow the “Train” fought off the submission attempt for two minutes and worked up to his feet and escaped. This lit a fire on Landwehr and he attacked with hard combinations. He backed the Brazilian up to the fence with hard punches and looked to be turning the tide of the fight but everything changed with a perfectly timed knee from Burns that sent Landwehr crashing to the canvas unconscious. Burns went to follow up with punches but referee Larry Carter immediately stepped in and stopped the bout giving Burns the win.
OOOOOOOOH MY GOODNESS!
Welcome to the UFC, @HerbertBurnsMMA! 🇧🇷
Head over to E+ ➡️ https://t.co/7gsc6RyHDA #UFCRaleigh pic.twitter.com/P2Fpm7Cpaa
— UFC (@ufc) January 25, 2020
Official Results: Herbert Burns def. Nate Landwehr by TKO, Round 1, 2:43
“People have underestimated my striking,” Burns said in his post-fight Octagon interview with former UFC champion, Daniel Cormier. “I have good striking.”
Burns dedicated his win in the memory of his friend’s daughter and also a roommate that both had recently passed away.
This was the first time both fighters stepped into the Octagon.
