Herbert Burns: Knockouts Will Not Blind This ‘Jiu-Jitsu Guy’

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Despite scoring a highlight-reel knockout in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in January, Herbert Burns has not lost sight of the grappling skills that have paved his way in the sport. The Hard Knocks 365 rep will face Evan Dunham at UFC 250 this Saturday in Las Vegas, and while Dunham has been knocked out in each of his last three losses, Burns has no plans to concede the ground to him. In fact, he sees avenues to victory no matter where the fight goes.

“I’m a jiu-jitsu guy. That’s my No. 1 strategy: work my jiu-jitsu,” Burns told Sherdog.com. “It doesn’t matter against who. I think I’m a much better grappler than he is. All respect to him. He’s a black belt, he’s a veteran [and he] has submissions against good people, but I just think I’m a better grappler than he is. I think I’m better everywhere. He could be physically stronger than me because he’s an actual lightweight, but I think the inactivity that he’s had may come into play. I’ll try to use my rhythm [and] my speed to keep ahead in the fight.”

In this exclusive interview with Sherdog, Burns addressed his evolution as a striker, opened up about how the coronavirus pandemic has directly impacted his family and discussed a hypothetical match between his older brother, Gilbert Burns, and reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman—a man who happens to be their teammate.