At a surreal UFC Fight Night in Brasilia, Brazil, which took place in an empty arena due to the coronavirus outbreak, Brazilian welterweight contender Gilbert Burns scored a brilliant first-round TKO finish over veteran Demian Maia.
Burns dropped Maia with a vicious left hand and began to celebrate, but Maia remained conscious and continued to guard himself on the ground as Burns raised his hands in the air. Burns quickly jumped on Maia and unleashed a flurry of strikes, forcing the referee to jump in and stop the fight. The victory is Burns’ fifth in a row, and the No. 12-ranked welterweight will jump up the rankings after taking down No. 5 Maia.
In a postmatch interview with Michael Bisping, Burns called out former welterweight champion Colby Covington – but tried to keep himself from getting profane on air. UFC Fight Night was originally scheduled to air on ESPN+, where Burns could say whatever he wants, but was moved onto ESPN.
“You’re going to see me. I’m going to…… beat you up. You’re lucky we’re on ESPN.”
