Gilbert Burns Wants Colby Covington on the Mat: 'That Would Be a Good One'

Gilbert Burns retired from MMA, then promptly submitted Horlando Monteiro in just over a minute during his UFC BJJ debut this past June. Now the former welterweight title contender is looking for his next stage — and he's got a specific name in mind. 'Durinho' told MMA Fighting at UFC White House radio row that he's 'for sure' interested in freestyle wrestling for RAF, the promotion that's been scooping up UFC talent left and right.

And the opponent he really wants? Colby Covington. Burns chased that fight for years inside the Octagon without landing it, and RAF might finally give him the opening. Covington is already 4-0 in the promotion, having beaten Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis, Chris Weidman and Arman Tsarukyan — the Tsarukyan win earning him a belt. He's booked to headline RAF 13 against Belal Muhammad on Sept. 19.

Why Wrestling, Why Now

Burns argued his ground game never got the spotlight it deserved late in his run. He said his wrestling is still there and that he's kept training and improving even as his recent fights didn't let him show it. That tracks: Burns built his reputation on elite grappling before his striking ever caught up, and a wrestling ruleset removes the variables that hurt him.

He rattled off a wishlist of potential dance partners — Tsarukyan, Covington, and essentially anyone RAF can put in front of him. Tsarukyan, currently the UFC's No. 2 lightweight at 23-3, has become an RAF regular himself. But Burns keeps circling back to Covington, framing it as unfinished business he'd love to finally settle on the mat.

The Bigger Picture

Khamzat Chimaev — a former Burns opponent — kicked off this trend, debuting in RAF with a win over Danis at over 203 pounds and now set to face Tyron Woodley on Sept. 5. Burns clearly sees the lane opening up. He also floated a laundry list of grappling matchups against names like Nate Diaz, Demian Maia, Kron Gracie and Dustin Poirier.

Life after MMA hasn't slowed him down. Burns says he's busier than expected, running his own gym in Florida and managing fighters. On the grappling scene at large, he's blunt: fans won't sit through a 10-minute gi match, and no-gi has grown precisely because it leans into entertainment and leg locks. Whether RAF books him against Covington is another matter — but Burns has made his pitch, and it's a fight a lot of people have wanted to see for a while.