Gilbert Burns isn’t holding a grudge against Colby Covington for taking the next shot at the UFC’s welterweight title, despite Covington not having competed in the past year. Even though UFC champion Leon Edwards already had a contender in Belal Muhammad with a nine-fight unbeaten streak, the promotion declared Covington the next in line against Edwards, which was a surprising turn of events.

Burns understands why Covington took hold of this opportunity, and he hopes his emphatic win against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 will change the conversation. Instead of whining about Covington getting a title shot, Burns is determined to potentially change the narrative with his upcoming fight against Masvidal.

Even if Burns’s conspiracy theory turns out to be true, he won’t get angry if that’s how Covington got his name into the title fight conversation. Burns won’t hold a grudge against Colby Covington for seizing upon an opportunity to fight for the welterweight title.

If anyone is to be blamed for what happened before UFC 287, it’s Edwards because of his shared history with Masvidal. Burns knows he’s going to get the best out of Masvidal because what’s at stake. If Masvidal beats him, then he’s next, which will be the biggest fight for Edwards and great pay-per-view money for the UFC.

Burns is putting in a lot of work and wants to savagely beat his opponents, not just win. Style counts, and he won’t be satisfied with a decision in his favor. He is determined to become the guy that gets the welterweight title, and he knows that dominating his opponents from beginning to end is the only way to achieve his goal.