From getting 'armlock king' title to headlining in Brazil, Gilbert Burns talks his long list of UFC goals

BRASILIA, Brazil – Say what you want about Gilbert Burns, but you can’t question the man’s ambition.

Set to face fellow countryman Michel Prazeres (20-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 95, Burns (11-1 MMA, 4-1) doesn’t let the focus on the task at hand deter him from his bigger goals.

And they certainly are big.

“I want to be in the top-15, and climbing,” Burns told MMAjunkie. “Be in the top-10, in the top-5, then it will be kind of easier. If your name is there, you’ll be more well-rounded, it’s going to be easier to ask for a big name fight. I’m looking forward to that.

“I’m looking forward to getting on the big stage, fighting high-level guys, big name guys, doing main events, co-main events in Brazil. I think Brazil is kind of missing a couple of guys to do the main event. I want to do a main event here. That’s my goal.”

Burns vs. Prazeres is Saturday’s featured FS1 prelim and takes place at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia.

“Durinho” is aware of the fact he faces an experienced opponent in Prazeres – a jiu-jitsu black belt who’s also a cop in Brazil. All those things, Burns said, ought to be respected. But, when it comes to their skillsets, Burns just thinks he’s a step ahead of his Saturday foe.

And while we’re on that subject, Burns has an answer for Prazeres’ claim that their ground games are equally good.

“I don’t think so, bro,” Durinho said with a smile. “First of all, you have no finishes in the UFC. Not a single one. Just kind of boring fights, take the guy down, be there hugging the guy, kind of stalling a little bit. He’s a strong dude, he’s very strong. His game is – he likes to play it very safe, he wants to be there, take you down, ground and pound a little bit. The referee (calls) ‘action,’ then he makes some action.

“If it has no referee, the fight is going to be kind of boring. I don’t need a referee there. I know my job. So I’m always gonna take the guy down. I have two goals: or I’m going to knock you out or I’m going to finish – I’m going to make you tap.”

And, indeed, making people tap hasn’t seemed like a big problem for the grappling ace so far. After bouncing back from his sole, “awful” career loss, Burns comes into the scrap carrying yet another armbar submission win – his third one in the UFC, tying him with former UFC bantamweight champ and armbar queen Ronda Rousey for second place in company history, trailing only MMA pioneer Royce Gracie.

The number is not lost on Burns, who will gladly take all the titles that might come with it.

“For sure, I want to be the armlock king,” Burns said with a smile. “I want to be the king, I want to be the guy who – every record I can break, I’m looking forward to breaking. But especially that one, on my area, my jiu-jitsu, my favorite submission. For sure I’m looking to get the crown and be the armlock king.”

At this point, it’s no secret that the ambitious Burns cares about status, numbers and rankings. But he’s also aware that getting those involves not only putting in the work, but racking up some cage time, as well.

“I want to fight again this year, maybe Sao Paulo (rumored for November), maybe December will be better,” Burns said. “I think the only thing I’m missing is more experience inside the cage. My record right now is 11 wins and one loss, but I have almost ten finishes, so I’ve never been in battles. I’ve had three battles of three rounds – one I lost, to Rashid (Magomedov), another one I won, my debut in the UFC (against Andreas Stahl, at UFC on FOX 12).

“The only other fight that went three rounds was with (Alex) ‘Cowboy’ (Oliveira), and I finished, but all my other fights were first-round finishes. I want to get more experience inside the cage. I want to fight again, I want to be ready, fighting, competing, get better, improve, study, and climb all the way to the top.”

And being at the top, Burns knows, also involves beating the people at the top. That’s why he never really minded the pressure that seems to have always followed his MMA career. After coming into the UFC under Vitor Belfort’s wing – with an award-winning grappling career to boot –Burns has no problem with the spotlight.

In fact, he’s quite into it.

“I remember for my third fight they offered me Josh Thomson, who at the time was a top-7, to do a co-main event in Brazil,” Burns said. “I kind of like the pressure, man. On my third fight in the UFC, get a top-7 and do a co-main event in my town? So I was kind of loving the pressure. But then they changed. But I love – I expect this kind of pressure. I’m glad to be fighting top-ranked guys.

“If I could choose, I’d ask for Gilbert Melendez, Jim Miller. I’m not going to fight a guy – a Brazilian guy who is building his name, and building his career. I want to fight the big guys that are going to take me to a different level.”

Getting opponents, it seems, hasn’t been the easiest of tasks for “Durinho.” For this particular scrap, he says he was offered “three or four” different rivals who ended up turning it down. Circumstance and travel arrangements led him to Prazeres – who was already on Burns’ radar.

But why exactly does “Durinho” think those first few matchups didn’t happen?

“A couple of guys, they don’t like coming all the way to Brazil, maybe (that’s) one excuse,” Burns said. “And the guys don’t want to get armbarred, choked out or knocked down. So I think that’s why.”

For more from Burns, check out the video above. Or, to see the full interview, including his thoughts on Prazeres, losses and his UFC future, click on the video below.

For more on UFC Fight Night 95, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.