Gilbert Burns seeking Khamzat Chimaev trilogy after RAF match

Gilbert Burns is approaching his debut on the RAF mats, and who better to face for his first outing than former UFC opponent Khamzat Chimaev?

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While it seems like a lifetime ago, Burns retired from the UFC earlier this year following a fifth straight defeat. But it didn’t take long for the Brazilian to return to combat sports. Just two months after departing the octagon, the now-40-year-old secured a submission victory over Horlando Monteiro at UFC BJJ 9. Fast forward three months, and Burns is now preparing for his Real American Freestyle venture. Will Burns be able to fend off the grappling dominance of Chimaev, or will he be another victim steamrolled by ‘Borz’? Time will tell. But win, lose, or draw, ‘Durinho’ has laid out a proposal to Chimaev.

Having competed once under mixed martial arts rules and then once with the freestyle wrestling ruleset, Gilbert Burns is interested in a third bout against Khamzat Chimaev. This time in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where Burns thrives.

Burns built a career off of his grappling prowess. In the 22 wins he has as a mixed martial artist, a significant 41% of those came via submission. Speaking of a potential BJJ follow-up to their RAF match, Burns said:

“That would be fun. That’s my territory, so I hope [it happens]. I’m way outside my territory [in RAF]. I still can wrestle; people are going to be surprised, I think. But yeah, that’ll be a good one.”

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Recalling Chimaev’s controversial past of fighting competitors outside of competition, Burns made a plea to his opponent: if we don’t get into a brawl before the time comes, our BJJ match would be legendary.

“Let’s hope we don’t get into a brawl; nothing on my part,” Burns added. “But yeah, that’ll be a good one for the BJJ fans.”

Gilbert Burns says maybe one day we’ll see a trilogy with Khamzat Chimaev, but in a BJJ match, noting that Khamzat would enter his territory of grappling.

“That would be amazing, right? That would be fun. That’s my territory, so I hope so. I’m going outside of my territory. I… pic.twitter.com/aDCGyZHiyi

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— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) September 17, 2026

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This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 1:40 PM.