Less than 24 hours ago, UFC 251 suffered a major blow. Gilbert Burns, one half of the main event, got infected with the Coronavirus. In a recent tweet, the Brazilian stated a bizarre reason for his infection.
A report from MMA Junkie said that Burns, along with his brother and coach, tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the bout was called off.
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“Burns traveled from Florida, where he trained for UFC 251, to Las Vegas. The promotion is using the city as a hub to send athletes overseas to Abu Dhabi, testing them for COVID-19 before flying out to the Middle East.
“Burns’ test result came back positive, as well as his brother and cornerman, Herbert Burns, and coach Greg Jones. All three men did not board the charter flight leaving Las Vegas.”
The cancellation devastated Burns. He said that he is not feeling well, but also assured his fans that he will win the battle.
💔 devastating news, not feeling well but I’m going to win this battle! Stay safe out there! Much love 🙏🏾
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) July 4, 2020
Gilbert Burns feels that he is a victim of “Karma”
It seems like we won’t be seeing any more “Dancing Pallbearers” memes from Gilbert Burns. The Brazilian fighter thinks it was Karma that forced him to withdraw from the event.
That’s freaking Karma not playing This memes no more! 😢😢💔 pic.twitter.com/8R88oEbc7q
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) July 4, 2020
As of now, he is on a six-fight win streak and has one of the most impressive resumes in the division. Although it is sad to see him miss out on such an opportunity, it is highly likely that the match will get rebooked soon. Besides that, welterweights Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal put their names in the hat to fight Kamaru Usman for the title.
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Burns is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. He dominated Woodley in their match, even in the striking department.
His opponent, Kamaru Usman, is on a fifteen-fight win streak. He has not lost a match since 2013. And his last match was against Colby Covington at UFC 245 in December 2019.