UFC 287: Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal Preview, Odds, Predictions

Gilbert Burns wants to return his name in the title talks, and the first step on that path is Jorge Masvidal. Durinho is one of the best welterweight fighters in the division, and many do, in fact, believe that his status among the fans and in the media isn’t in accordance with his quality. On the other side, Gamebred is declining, and we believe this is his last chance to stay relevant in the octagon. He did cash in well at the end of his career, but we have to add that this guy has more to exploit from himself before retiring. 

The preview for the main event Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya is on this link.

Preview

Gibert Burns (21-5, -500) returned to the winning path with a win over Neil Magny in the first round of their battle three months ago. He spent more than four minutes inside the octagon, before quickly catching Magny and forcing him to tap out. UFC 283 was in Brazil, and you can imagine what kind of delirium was in Rio back then. 

Burns had his chance to win the title, but he failed, with Kamaru stopping him in the third round, with a KO, despite Burns dominating the opening and rocking Usman on several occasions. As time went by, his inexperience cost him a lot, and Usman managed to find a crack in his defense.

The Brazilian is a jiu-jitsu master and one of the best in the welterweight division and the entire organization. His grappling is perfect, yet besides that, Durinho knows how to fight in the stand-up. Of his 21 wins, six were via KO, six via decision, and nine by submission. This clearly shows his versatility inside the octagon. 

Jorge Masvidal (35-16, +375) lost the past three battles, with all of them being the main events. Two were against Kamaru, and both were the title fights for the welterweight belt, while the most recent happened to be against Colby Covington, his former roommate and training partner. 

Masvidal previously had three wins in a row, all via KO, against Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz, which made him one of the potential challengers for the belt. His first shot at the title was at UFC 251, when Burns had to step down due to his COVID issues. After a unanimous loss in that one, he was KOd against Kamaru in the next at the UFC 261. 

That was only the second time in his career to suffer a KO, and the first time after 2009 to lose via stoppage. Masvidal is arguably the guy with the most split decision losses in the MMA right now, and that only proves why his fights attract that much attention. He is a raw street fighter with a fantastic chin and incredible charisma. 

Prediction

Even though we love Masvidal, he doesn’t stand a chance in this event, and we predict his loss via stoppage. He will take down Masvidal, who isn’t that great on the mat, and try to finish the business via submission. We respect Gamebred, but his age is a big problem. 

Pick: Burns wins -500

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