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Gilbert Burns Wants To Deliver A Timely Reminder To The Welterweight Elite
Longtime Contender Gilbert Burns Is Ready To Bounce Back Into The Welterweight Mix By Handing A Rising Star The First Loss Of His MMA Career
There isn’t too much Gilbert Burns hasn’t already seen and faced in his MMA career. The 38-year-old is a veteran of 30 professional fights and, as he prepares to make the walk to the Octagon for his 24th UFC fight, he’s ready to put that experience to good use.
Listed eighth in the UFC’s official welterweight rankings, Burns will look to defend his position when he faces rising Ecuadorian talent Michael Morales, a 17-0 phenom who delivered a statement performance in his last outing against divisional stalwart Neil Magny.
It was a performance that made the welterweight division, including Burns, sit up and take notice. And the former title challenger admitted that after watching Morales’ victory over Magny, he had a feeling he’d be offered the chance to fight him next.
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"I was watching the fight when he beat Neil Magny, and the way he beat Neil Magny, first round, freaking spinning elbow and stuff, I’m just like, ‘They’re gonna offer me this guy,’ and I already started training for him. I knew it,” he said.
“I started looking. Solid wrestling, good boxing, freaking 25 years old. He looks very athletic. He looks like a freak. So I’ve got to make sure I put in a lot of work and get ready for him.
“I think he deserves a crack at the top 10. A lot of guys would be, ‘Oh, I don't want to fight back [down the rankings].” I'll fight anyone. I want to get in that win column again. And Michael Morales, it's your turn.”
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Morales is one of a number of rising young contenders in the UFC’s welterweight division, with the Ecuadorian looking to join the next generation of UFC welterweights who are gathering at the sharp end of the 170-pound division.
Burns has been impressed with what he’s seen so far from the 25-year-old, and admitted that he’ll have to be on his guard when he’s in the standup exchanges with him.
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“I think Michael Morales caused a lot of trouble [for Magny] in the striking. I think he's very fast, hits hard, looks very strong,” he said.
“I think he tried to keep that fight on the feet, stick and move, and keep the fight on the feet. That's the way we see it. And I think, yeah, if the fight stays on the feet, and if he controls that range, that's when the fight gets hard for me.”
Burns and Morales have been preparing to face each other for a while, and have seen their fight booking shifted as the UFC schedule has shaken out over the last couple of months. Now they find themselves headlining at the UFC APEX in a five-round matchup. It’ll be Morales’ first UFC main event, but Burns is no stranger to five-round matchups.
Burns said that experience could help, though he admitted that he’s not expecting any main event jitters from his opponent this weekend.
“It's not a huge factor, but I think it plays a part,” he said.
“He’s never had this type of spotlight, [but] I don't think it's going to be a big deal. I think he's going to handle it good, but I've been here, [and] done all that. I like it, and I’ve gotta use my experience in every scenario to beat this guy.
“The fight was rescheduled many times. We were supposed to fight in Miami, then we were supposed to headline Kansas City, we were supposed to headline Iowa. Now we’re here at the APEX, and I’m good. Let’s fight. We’re ready.”
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Given everything he’s seen from his young opponent’s career, Burns knows that he’ll probably have to weather an early storm against Morales. But as a fighter who’s been in the trenches with some of the UFC’s best, he’s ready to hang tough in those early exchanges, then deploy his elite skill set to hand Morales the first defeat of his career.
“I see the fight starting at a very quick pace,” said Burns.
“I see this guy [being] very dangerous in the beginning. I might get hurt a little bit. I think he’s got good kicks, good punches. I think he might give me a little danger in the beginning.
"But I think eventually, whenever I get my good positions, things that I train, I think I'll be able to connect my punches, connect my takedowns. And whenever I get on top, it's gonna be a very hard night for Michael Morales.”
With a talented, but lower-ranked, contender standing across the Octagon from him on fight night this weekend, Burns has the job of defending his ranking. But that’s not his only goal.
His aim isn’t just to defeat Morales, it’s to remind the world that he’s still very much in the mix at 170 pounds. To achieve that, victory is a must. But, as one of the most experienced contenders in the division, Burns knows that it’s never just about winning in the UFC – it’s about winning decisively.
“Number one is the win, but it's always [to make] a statement. This is the entertainment business,” he acknowledged.
“So it's not just a win, it’s a finish, it’s to win good. It’s to really show everybody that you won, and there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind.
“Everybody that is going to be here at the APEX, they’ll know that I won – the judges, Dana, the media, everybody's watching at home. I want to have no doubt in anyone’s mind that I won the fight. That’s my goal, to go out there, really show all my skills, put my will on him, and beat Michael Morales
“I see me in the mix at 170. I go out there and beat Michael Morales, I'm back.”
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Morales took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 17, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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