Gilbert Burns Regrets Going ‘Cody Garbrandt Crazy’ After Hurting Kamaru Usman at UFC 258

Despite eventually falling short, Gilbert Burns had his moments in the UFC 258 headliner. The Brazilian dropped Kamaru Usman with an overhand right in the very first round. However, Burns felt he rushed for the kill which worked against him. ‘Durinho’ viewed his eagerness to finish the fight as similar to what led to the former champion, Cody Garbrandt, to lose multiple fights.

In the opening salvo of the UFC 258 main event, Burns had his moment after dropping Usman to the ground after his right hand found a home. However, Usman’s patience, coupled with Burns’ excessive aggressiveness, led to a wasted opportunity for the latter. Looking back at the round, Burns feels he shouldn’t have entered the same territory as Cody Garbrandt was notorious for.

“It wasn’t exactly what I wanted it to be. I think I got overexcited. I went my guy Cody Garbrandt-crazy as soon as I hurt him. That was the second time. I think I made the same mistake when I fought Dan Hooker. I got overexcited,” Burns said at the post-fight press conference.

The former bantamweight kingpin, Cody Garbrandt, had a perfect 11-0 start to his professional career, which included a win over bantamweight great, Dominick Cruz. However, his tendency to engage in often unwarranted brawls in the Octagon led to him losing three fights back-to-back.

Gilbert Burns accepts he has work to do before he becomes a champion

Leading up to UFC 258, the storyline around the headliner revolved around how two former training partners would go up against each other. However, the heated stare-down following the weigh-in and the no touching of gloves at the start of the fight painted a different picture.

Regardless of the intensity in the lead-up, the aftermath was as emotional as it could get. Burns, realizing that his dream of becoming a champion wouldn’t be fulfilled, broke down into tears. Usman hugged him as well, putting an end to the pre-fight intensity between the two.

In the end, Burns knows where he went wrong. Thus, he is adamant about fixing the flaws in his game and making another run at the title.

“In order to become a champion, I have to be disciplined. I have so much respect for my guy, Cody Garbrandt. I just went the same way. As soon as I saw he was hurt, (I forgot) about the strategy. I went for the kill. In order to be a champion, I cannot make those mistakes,” Burns added.

Burns will now head back to the drawing board and hope to return to the challenger’s status as soon as possible.

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