Burns On Chimaev's Path Back To UFC Gold

Gilbert Burns says Khamzat Chimaev needs to stop switching camps if he wants to reclaim UFC gold.

Burns, who faces Chimaev in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 13 on Thursday in Miami, told Red Corner MMA that the former middleweight champion was at his best under Andreas Michael at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm. Chimaev has since bounced between training environments and now operates out of the United Arab Emirates, keeping only longtime jiu-jitsu coach Alan Nascimento as a constant in his corner.

Burns: Chimaev Needs Coaches Who Challenge Him

The Brazilian welterweight thinks Chimaev can still become a two- or three-division champion if he settles down with a stable team. "The only thing that I can watch from the outside and say is I don't like when he's changing camps, changing coaches too much," Burns said. "When he fought me, he had that solid general. The guy he was with in Sweden. He was doing a great job."

Burns specifically wants Chimaev surrounded by coaches who will push back rather than agree with everything. "He just needs a solid team. Guys that are not yes-men. Guys that are gonna tell him what he has to do," Burns said, adding that Chimaev is young and fresh enough to bounce back from his first professional loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 329.

The two met in a welterweight bout in 2022, with Chimaev winning a decision in one of the toughest tests of his career. They wrestle again Thursday at Watsco Center.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Gilbert Burns says ‘yes-men’ could stand between Khamzat Chimaev & UFC gold