UFC 288: Gilbert Burns finds a home at welterweight

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The difference between fighting at lightweight and welterweight is more than just 15 pounds for Gilbert Burns.

“I was broke when I was at 155,” Burns said Wednesday at UFC 288 media day. “And that’s because I had to take a lot of time between fights because I could keep making weight every time.”

After a tough weight cut for an April 2019 fight, he thought about moving up to 170. He took a short-notice fight at welterweight that August and then another one a month later. He won all three of those bouts.

“These three fights [in] April, August and September, I got six checks in a very short time just because I was able,” Burns said. “I bought my first house, and then I kind of went and relaxed a little bit.”

He’s been a welterweight ever since.

He’s also among the top-ranked fighters in the 170-pound division, but short-notice fights still make their way toward him. When the original UFC 288 co-main event of Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush fell off the card on April 15, a bout between Burns and Belal Muhammad came together in less than a week.

“I got the call, the fight was a done deal,” Burns said.

The five-round fight on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark also comes with a promise.

The winner of Burns vs. Muhammad will get the next title shot after champion Leon Edwards defends against Colby Covington. That bout has not been announced yet, but it’s the one UFC president Dana White said last month he was looking to put together.

“The goal is the gold,” Muhammad said. “Once they said that, I didn’t need to hear anything else.”

Burns (22-5) has won two fights in a row, including a unanimous decision over Jorge Masvidal in Miami last month. This will be Burns’ third fight this year. Muhammad (22-3, 1 no contest) has won four straight, most recently a TKO win over Sean Brady last October. And before a no-contest against Edwards in March of 2021 (accidental eye poke by Edwards), Muhammad had won four in a row.

“I was just sitting there, minding my own business, chilling in Toronto, then all of a sudden I get a call and they asked me if I wanted to fight,” Muhammad said. “You know me, I love to fight. It was a huge opportunity. I couldn’t say no.”

A family affair for Matt Frevola

This weekend, Matt Frevola steps into the cage inside Prudential Center to throw some hands, some legs and whatever else necessary to beat Drew Dober.

But last Friday, the Huntington-raised Frevola stood on the mound at Citi Field and threw a baseball to his father. It was the ceremonial first pitch before the Mets hosted Atlanta.

“I was honestly a little nervous when I got there,” the 32-year-old former lacrosse player at Harborfields High School said. “I got out to the mound and I was like, ‘Man, this is, like, a little bit farther than what I thought it was going to be.”

Frevola called the experience “a dream come true,” adding that he also met Mets owner Steve Cohen and his wife, Alex, during the game.

“We've been lifelong Mets fans,” Frevola said. “We grew up at Shea Stadium. And now we're at Citi Field. The Cohens support their own and I'm really lucky that they're with me.”

That first pitch from the “SteamRolla” sailed high, but his father “came in big to make the catch.” No chance he’d let his son’s first pitch get by him. And that “high heat,” as Frevola described it, was called a strike by the umpire – his brother!

Air Jourdain

Charles Jourdain’s first thoughts on being offered a fight against Kron Gracie: “I was surprised, I thought he was retired.”

Yes, it’s been nearly four years since Gracie last fought in an MMA bout. But, no, the featherweight Jourdain isn’t expecting any sort of ring rust or nerves from the 34-year-old son of Rickson Gracie and grandson of Helio Gracie, one of the creators and developers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

“Rust is something that accumulates when you don't have that much competitive experience, and this guy has been on the mat since he was 6 years old,” Jourdain said. “I think at 2 years old, Rickson put a gi on him, so this guy knows competition.”

Gracie (5-1) last fought in October 2019, losing a unanimous decision to Cub Swanson. Gracie said the pandemic hitting in March of 2020 contributed to his time away, as did moving his BJJ academy from California to Montana.

“I felt like they stopped the world, and I had to make some moves in my life and now we're here,” Gracie said. “I couldn't really fight in that situation. I had to move and then move my gym and get everything kind of organized. It's already hard enough to fight when I had everything the way I wanted it. I wasn't going to start training for the fight if I didn't have the right things in the right places.”

Jourdain last fought in September, losing a second straight fight for the first time in his career. He said he used that time off to develop and grow as both a fighter and a person after 11 years of fighting more frequently.  

“If I want to stay in the UFC I need to level up,” said Jourdain (13-6-1). “If not, the door will be shown to me. So yeah, I need to prove that I'm a better fighter.”

Sterling, Cejudo and the sort-of exchanging of pleasantries

In between main-eventers Aljamain Sterling, the reigning bantamweight champion, and Henry Cejudo, a former champion, offering their sharp verbal jabs at each other on Wednesday – after doing similar in previous interviews – they did also share some positive attributes they saw in one another.

“Aljamain’s greatest gift is his transitions to his submissions,” Cejudo said. “Whether he's taking the back or going after the neck, he's super quick in those positions.”

Of course, Cejudo followed that with this: “He telegraphs a lot of what he does. I can see from a mile away. I’m not impressed. His distance is off, and I’m looking to expose that. He’s tough, he’s gritty.”

Sterling, making his third title defense, later in the afternoon had his opportunity to respond.

“He is a cringy guy. I think he's just very socially awkward,” Sterling said. “Other than that, as a competitor, I respect him and everything that he brings to the table.”

By Mark La Monica

mark.lamonica@newsday.comLaMonicaMark

Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.