Finally, the world got to witness the highly anticipated welterweight fight between two dangerous grapplers in Demian Maia and Gilbert Burns.
Gilbert Burns returned to the UFC Octagon with the momentum of a four-fight win streak, where tonight he was looking to capture a win over a topped ranked opponent like Demian Maia (currently in the number 5 spot).
Demian Maia entered the Octagon in Brasília, Brazil with the full intention to douse the surging younger flame that is Gilbert Burns. Maia earned Fight of the Night honours in his last outing, where he put away Ben Askren last October in Kallang, Singapore.
Both fighters come out trading punches early on the feet, and Maia backed Burns to the fence.
Maia took Burns to the ground, and after a quick exchange on the mat, the fight returned to the feet.
Maia pressed the action to the cage by getting on the back of Burns, and he transitioned to mount briefly before the fight returned to the feet. Once both men separated, Burns dropped Maia with a left hook.
DROPPED! 🤯
A CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN BRASILIA! 🇧🇷
➡️ Don't miss the main event on @ESPN pic.twitter.com/BjODzRlULc
— UFC (@ufc) March 14, 2020
Burns thought he had a KO victory, but continued to jump on Maia with a barrage of punches before the ref stepped in to call off the contest at 2:34 of the first round.
Post-fight, Burns spoke of the respect and admiration he had for his countryman Maia. He also took the time to call out former interim welterweight champ Colby Covington, saying “I’m going to beat you up!” before adding it was a good thing they were on ESPN — else he’d no doubt have harsher words.
Official Result: Gilbert Burns def. Demian Maia by TKO, Round 1, 2:34
