Gilbert Burns has shared why he criticised Belal Muhammad and how he subsequently buried the hatchet with him. After Muhammad beat Sean Brady to leapfrog Burns in the UFC rankings, the Brazilian was unhappy that his spot had been taken, but has since taken a more positive outlook on his career and reaching title contention.

Muhammad beat Burns’ teammate Vicente Luque and stopped Brady, catching Burns’ attention, before he booked a fight against Muhammad. Burns stresses that a victory against Muhammad in their upcoming fight would put him in line for a title shot and is a clear goal of his, even accepting that fellow welterweight Colby Covington has the first shot at the champion, Leon Edwards.

Nevertheless, despite his lack of regard for Muhammad as a person, Burns has respect for his fellow fighter and believes he is a high-quality opponent who can adjust to different styles of fighting.