Watch full video highlights of Saturday night’s showdown courtesy of DAZN Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns.
Khamzat Chimaev (11-0) celebrated his much-anticipated return to the Octagon against Gilbert Burns (20-5) at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It was an untitled fight.
Check out all the fight highlights below.
For more on Chimaev vs. Burns, check out MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew live blog.
round 1
Both men come out in an orthodox tone and Burns begins on his bike. Chimaev throws two teeps to assist Burns and then hits a double. Burns gets his hips back but Chimaev keeps him on the fence and lands some knees, possibly on the trophy.
Burns is still struggling against that takedown but isn’t close to breaking up and Chimaev is able to bring him down. Burns is still standing by the cage trying to move, but Chimaev stays on top of him and lands a couple of shots. Burns gets up but is pulled back down and Chimaev takes his back briefly before Burns escapes. Chimaev descends and they are in space.
Chimaev is HUGE in there, but Burns has the speed and he lands some decent kicks on Chimaev. Chimaev lands a right hand that trips Burns but he’s okay and they hit it now. Burns even gets the jab going and he seems to be a bit short on time. Chimaev doesn’t want to wrestle now, he lands shots and seems content to punch.
Good solid junk developing here with Burns pushing the action on it now. That speed is helpful for Burns, but now Chimaev is on the rise and Burns is getting back up too much. Chimaev takes wing shots and now wants a KO. He leaves his chin there, but doesn’t seem to mind until Burns trips him. Now he has his hands up.
With a minute left, Chimaev drops Burns with a jab! Burns stepped in and Chimaev caught him in the chin and now Burns is on his back and Chimaev is with hammer fists. Burns has his wits but he swings back from below and Chimaev continues to hit him. Burns recovers and Chimaev withdraws. Burns is broken, but he hits Chimaev with a jab and a right hand of his own! This is damn good junk.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-8 Chimaev.
round 2
Very fun first lap there and we learned a lot about Chimaev.
Chimaev lands a low kick at the start and he has pretty good kicking game. However, Burns shoots a double leg at him and almost gets it! Chimaev essentially runs from it, but that was unexpected.
Chimaev is now starting to switch stances frequently and he gets his jab away. However, Burns marks him with a counter over and a big kick from Burns. Chimaev’s jab is a good weapon right now, though, and he’s using it to pull out a counter and hit Burns back.
Chimaev is really happy with a kickboxing match now and Burns wants another single leg, but Chimaev is just too big and strong for that. Chimaev comes in wild and Chimaev is clipped with a left hook that drops him! Burns tries to finish off an injured Chimaev, but Chimaev shoots back! Burns lands another big left but Chimaev has recovered and now he’s the charge!
Burns looks a bit out of breath now but Chimaev has definitely slowed down and that’s going to be very interesting. Chimaev’s big right hand hurts Burns! Burns now throws everything into his counterattacks and he lands, but he can’t put Chimaev down. Burns shoots a takedown but Chimaev spreads it and he’s up. However, Burns starts and returns to swinging. Burns takes over with volume on his feet and he makes Chimaev react to feints. That’s a great achievement from him.
Chimaev lands some counterattacks of his own, but Burns lands more. And he tears up the body nicely too. These men are now fighting in a phone booth and Chimaev injures Burns! But he intervenes and Chimaev is dropped! Run out of time and Burns almost lands a kick! Chimaev on a takedown. And then at the end of the round something happens and there’s a ruckus in here.
MMA Fighting scores 10-8 burns in the round, 28-28 overall.
round 3
This is fight of the night. No question.
Much slower pace early in the third and it’s understandable as both men need to be gassed. Chimaev still marches forward but no takedown attempt. However, he lands a big right that causes Burns to retire.
Chimaev is back on the jab and is now having a lot of success assisting Burns. Burns wants a takedown but Chimaev doesn’t have it. Burns is persistent, but Chimaev is an excellent wrestler and so strong. Burns looks gassed now though. He stands by the fence and Chimaev fires shots! Burns in the cover-up and Chimaev gets on his knees! Burns is EXHAUSTED, but Chimave wins.
They break and a big jab from Chimaev trips Burns. Burns backs up really a lot and Chimaev stabs and slams him. Burns absolutely wing counter. Chimaev started going for an uppercut that cuts through Burns’ guard, but Burns fights back. However, his face is now a bloody mask.
Burns pushes the action and lands some right hands of his own. But Chimaev comes back. Both men are obviously tired, but Burns caught some wind. With a minute left, Chimaev stalks, but he throws less now and Burns tries to land. Big shots from Burns that miss. Chimaev ducks and sways. Burns works his ass off.
Chimaev is still pushing and Burns is full of heart. Chimaev ends the fight with a takedown attempt that he can’t complete and it’s a GREAT fight.
MMA Fighting scores the bout 10-9 Chimaev, 28-27 Chimaev overall.
Official decision
Khamzat Chimaev defeats Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).