LAS VEGAS - A fight put off by a TKO defeat in his failed bid for the UFC Welterweight Championship, it appears Gilbert Burns has placed himself straight into title contention.
Burns (20-4) relied on his grappling skills - and to do so by the UFC 264 crowd - to overtake former title contender Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision on Saturday. All three T-Mobile Arena judges scored 29-28 for Burns. CBS Sports also had a 29-28 for the 34-year-old native of Brazil.
"Sorry guys, every time I hope to try and finish but it's a complicated thing," Burns said, as the sell-out crowd shared their displeasure.
Appearing with the fight to enter Round 3, Burns was dropped early with a spinning high kick. However, he quickly got to his feet, and traded hard punches with Thompson on the feet before shooting for a takedown.
Burns spent the remainder of the final round in the top spot with small punches after a failed guillotine attempt to steal the goal and the win.
Thompson (16-5-1) also spent a lot of time on his back in the opening round and worked a flurry of shots in the final seconds after working back on his feet. But the 38-year-old South Carolina native dominated the second round as he used distance and precision strikes to keep Burns away.
The victory was a sweet one for Burns after being stopped in the third round by champion Kamaru Usman in February. The defeat broke a six-fight winning streak, although Burns dropped Usman in the opening round with a big right hand.
After the victory over Thompson, Burns called out anyone in the division before specifically mentioning fellow top contenders Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards.