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Though he never reached his ultimate goal of becoming a UFC champion, Gilbert Burns is stepping away from the sport with his head held high. "Durinho" concluded his 14-year MMA career, leaving his gloves in the octagon after a technical knockout loss to Mike Malott in the main event of UFC Fight Night 273 on Saturday.
The moment was emotional for Burns (22-10 MMA, 15-10 UFC), who had kept his decision a secret until the very end, with no one suspecting his retirement was a possibility before the event.
"I gave everything I had to this sport," Burns told MMA Junkie. "I had many great fights, I fought for the title, I faced the toughest guys, the elite of this division. I went into this fight very confident and put in a lot of work. But when I couldn't execute my plan, when I felt he was a little faster, stronger, a little better here and there, I told myself: 'Okay, if I can't beat Mike Malott...' I have nothing against him. He's a serious contender, a good fighter, but I don't think he's at the top of the division like others. I told myself: 'I'll be honest. If I can't beat him, this is the end.' ... If we had beaten Malott, yes, we would have continued to fight. We would have challenged Colby Covington. We would have set up a fight during International Fight Week and moved forward. But if I can't beat Mike Malott, then this is it."
There are always things one might wish they had done differently, but overall, Burns is proud of his accomplishments in MMA, despite not achieving his dream of becoming a UFC champion. He leaves mixed martial arts with a clear conscience.
"I have no regrets," Burns said. "I think I learned so much from the losses throughout my career. I don't think I would change much. Of course, I would change minor things here and there. But overall, it was a great learning and growing experience. When the results are positive, we are all happy. We all celebrate. When we lose, it sucks. We just have to see where we went wrong and try to get better so we don't repeat the same mistakes. But it was a good journey. I don't think I would change much."
Burns believes his career will leave a positive message for his children. The final outcome can never diminish the fact that he gave his all in pursuit of his dreams. Burns has no doubt that MMA saw the best of him, and that's what matters most to him.
"My kids see the sacrifices and they see me training every day," Burns explained. "I do a lot of physical therapy, so every day I'm getting treatments, recovering, stretching, Pilates, and ice baths before they go to school. They see everything. And sometimes the results don't go my way. Then I tell them: 'But you saw the journey, right?' I left no stone unturned. I did everything. But sometimes the result just doesn't come. That's life. Sometimes you do everything right, but the other person just performed better in that moment. And that's how it is."
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