KEY POINTS

  • Michael Bisping shares his prediction on Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev
  • Bisping admits Chimaev has a great chance of beating Burns
  • The Brazilian thinks he could earn another title shot if he beats "Borz"

One of Gilbert Burns’ “buddies” in the UFC is not confident he can beat his upcoming opponent.

Burns is set to take on UFC breakout star Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 on Saturday, April 9.

The No. 2-ranked welterweight contender is coming in aware of Chimaev's tremendous size advantage over him.

However, “Durinho” is confident he could take on “Borz” as he has been working with elite fighters in training camp, including reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Sharing his early prediction of the fight, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping broke down the best strength of both fighters.

According to “The Count,” Chimaev mostly relies on hard work and always looks to dominate his opponent.

Burns, on the other hand, has got that knockout power in his hands according to Bisping.

“Khamzat [Chimaev] has the work ethic, the training, he works hard,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “When he spars he dominates anyone in the room. Unbelievably dominant in every single way. Khamzat he’s got the confidence, he has a unique look, people are drawn to him.”

“Gilbert Burns does have knockout power, he does have great training partners."

However, Bisping went on to confess that though he and Burns are pals, he is certain Chimaev will get the better of the Brazilian.

“This is a tough one,” he admitted. “I’m going to lean towards Khamzat. I’m sorry Gilbert, I know we’re buddies, I know we’re friends so if you see this, I hope you prove me wrong. I do. I do apologize. But you could say I’ve been sold the hype. I’m just telling you what he (Chimaev) did to Li Jingliang, just blew my mind. It was so impressive.”

Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev getting his hand raised after beating Gerald Meerschaert in their UFC Fight Night bout in 2020. Getty Images/Zuffa/LLC

Aside from the size difference, Burns also knows that there’s a “big risk” in fighting Chimaev, who is yet to beat a Top-10 fighter.

However, he felt like he needs to secure a big win as soon as possible to earn another shot at UFC gold.

“Yes, I agree. He needs a big test, I need a big opponent, I wasn’t fighting, he wasn’t fighting. I asked for this fight, they gave it to me, now we are fighting. I like this fight, I asked for this fight,” Burns said in a recent interview with TSN.

“It all depends on the performance, if any one of us gets a spectacular finish I think we earn a title shot."

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