Through four UFC fights, Chimaev has flashed absolute brilliance, dominating John Phillips, Rhys McKee, Gerald Meerschaert, and Li Jingliang.
Although those performances were incredibly impressive, Burns can’t help but crack a smile when detailing the difference between him and that of Chimaev’s former foes.
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“I’m at the top of the division. I’ve fought the champion and former champions, fought guys that fought for the title and beat all these guys. There are levels,” Burns told UFC.com. “I’m giving him the opportunity. I earned my opportunity to be here, and he doesn’t have a lot of fights but I’m giving him the opportunity. We are going to find out [if the hype is real]. I think he’s very tough and very good, but I want to fight for the title again and I want to fight the toughest guys in this division.
“When I’m done, I want to know that I fought the best and I consider him one of the best. Why not? We’re going to find out a lot of answers to a lot of questions on Saturday.”
While Chimaev was on the rise, it was portrayed as if no welterweight wanted to fight him, but that wasn’t the full truth. Some fighters may have declined a showdown with Chimaev, but only a handful have specifically reached out to the UFC hoping to do battle with him.
Burns was one of those men.