Gilbert Burns believes he could have finished his fight with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 if Masvidal hadn’t been so slippery, suspecting his opponent used an old trick with lotion to make the grappling more difficult.
Gilbert Burns isn’t holding any grudges after UFC 287, but he’s confident he would have had another finish on his record if he could have held onto Jorge Masvidal. In a unanimous decision victory, Burns got the better of Masvidal both on the feet and on the ground over the course of three rounds. Well-known for his world-class grappling skills, Burns believed he could have wrapped up a submission, but ultimately he could only maintain control to keep Masvidal underneath him.
“I was really looking forward for a finish, but I think it was a good fight,” Burns said at the UFC 287 post-fight press conference. “I try to put on a show every single time. I was really, really looking forward to a finish. I hit him with good shots, took him down a couple of times. If I’m not wrong, I had three takedown attempts, and I finished all three. A lot of wrestlers didn’t do that. A lot of guys, high-level wrestlers that he fought, had trouble taking him down, and I didn’t.” Burns was left wondering if Masvidal employed an old Miami trick with lotion, as he found him to be extremely slippery during the fight.
Fighters are routinely checked by a ringside referee before setting foot in the cage to ensure they have no extra substances on their body. Masvidal may not have been lubed up with anything when he walked to the cage, but Burns believes that’s because his opponent used a trick that would’ve made him slippery only after they both started sweating. “One-hundred percent, I do believe [he was greasing],” Burns said. “I know those old tricks those guys do. You know what they do? They wake up on [Saturday] and they take the first shower and they put a lot of lotion on the body. The skin absorbs the lotion, and then after three hours, you do it again, and then after, you do it again, and then after, you do it again, and your body absorbs. Whenever you start sweating a lot [the lotion comes out]. For sure he did that, 100 percent he did. I’m telling you.”
Once the fight was over, the welterweights veered in two completely different directions, with Burns calling for a title shot and Masvidal announcing his retirement from MMA. Burns was already cemented near the top of the 170-pound rankings prior to Saturday. But now he’s anxious to get another shot at UFC gold, and he won’t take no for an answer. “I almost say it’s a done deal, Colby [Covington] and Leon [Edwards] in London. If I’m not wrong, it’s almost a done deal — just the little details,” Burns said. “I’m going to be the backup. I’m not asking. I’m demanding that I’m going to [be the backup]. Now I’m demanding that I’m going out there, I’m going to do my training camp for five rounds, go to London, I’ll be the backup, and I’m next in line to fight for the title.”