Dana White: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns Targeted for UFC 273 in Jacksonville

A big-ticket welterweight matchup could be headed to the Sunshine State, as Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns is in the works for UFC 273.

UFC president Dana White confirmed to TSN that the promotion is targeting the bout, but it has not been finalized at this point in time. UFC 273 takes place on April 9 at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung.

Chimaev returned after more than a year hiatus at UFC 267, where he defeated Jingliang Li via technical submission 3:16 into Round 1 of their encounter. “Borz” is now 10-0 as a professional, with four finishes in UFC competition to his credit.

Burns, meanwhile, went 1-1 in 2021. After suffering a third-round TKO loss to Kamaru Usman in a welterweight title clash at UFC 258, “Durinho” rebounded to outpoint Stephen Thompson at UFC 264 this past July. The 35-year-old Brazilian has been victorious in seven of his last eight Octagon appearances.