Gilbert Burns Hopes to Coach Against Colby Covington on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’

After an emphatic triumph against Neil Magny at UFC 283, Gilbert Burns already has a plan in mind for his next fight within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

"Whenever the UFC asked me to fight on short notice I never said no. I’ve heard they will do another ‘Ultimate Fighter,’ and I hope they give me the opportunity to headline it against Colby Covington,” Burns said at the UFC 283 post-fight press conference. “But I’m also available to be the reserve fighter of Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in London. And if they want to put me against [Belal Muhammad] in London, I’m ready. I just want to be really active this year.”

Burns also discussed the retirements of Mauricio Rua and Glover Teixeira, both of whom competed for the last time at UFC 283.

"Those guys were big inspirations for my generation,” Burns said. “Not only for the amazing accomplishments of their careers, but also for the way they always treat their oponents. No doubt their names are printed in MMA history.”  

Meanwhile, Burns predicted a bright future for Ismael Bonfim and Gabriel Bonfim, who both earned memorable victories in their Octagon debuts at UFC 283.

"They are the future of Brazilian MMA. I trained with them some camps ago when I was with [Vicente] Luque at Cerrado MMA and could feel they are really special,” Burns said. “I did a particular sparring with Ismael that was so tough … that the head coach prohibited us from doing other sparring [sessions]. When I saw them today in the arena, I welcomed them and told them to have fun. I have no doubt this will be your home for a long time. And they did exactly what I expected. Those guys are coming to be champions in their respective weight classes.

"By the way, there are four names I bet on as the future of Brazilian MMA and they were all on that card: Gabriel, Ismael, [Jailton Almeida] and Gregory [Rodrigues],” he added. “Gregory didn’t have a good night. He was so prepared to face [Brad] Tavares, so when they changed to a totally different opponent I don’t think he was ready. I’m sure he will make a strong recovery."