Burns Blames ‘Recognition’ From Khamzat Fight For Recent Struggles

Gilbert Burns is looking to get back to his old ways tomorrow evening (Sat., May 17, 2025) at UFC Vegas 106 LIVE on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the former UFC welterweight title challenger meets undefeated contender Michael Morales in the main event.

”Home of Fight.” ”It was good. (I got) a lot of opportunities, a couple of sponsors, the fans recognized me everywhere, and it built up my platform to a different level. Then you kind of get caught up with it a little bit – making money, traveling, getting recognition.

“That kind of took me slowly away from my path, from that ‘Durinho’ that trains hard, that wants to become a champion. It was not a bad thing to have that financial growth, but it kind of took me a little bit out of my path. Slowly, after those couple of losses, it was actually very good for me to reflect on that, see what I changed, and start correcting that a little bit, putting my priorities first.”

days inside of the Octagon are numbered. If “Durinho” suffers his fourth-straight loss this weekend and drops out of the welterweight top 10 he could decide to walk away for good. But if the former UFC title challenger can hand Morales his first pro loss it will extend his UFC stay even longer.

LIVE! Stream UFC Vegas 106 On ESPN+

WELTERWEIGHT CROSSROADS! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to is intimate APEX venue in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., May 17, 2025, with UFC Vegas 106. Former 170-pound title challenger, Gilbert Burns, collides with undefeated up-and-coming phenom, Michael Morales, in a blistering main event scheduled for five rounds. In UFC Vegas 106’s co-main event, battle-hardened Paul Craig locks horns with surging Light Heavyweight, Rodolfo Bellato, setting the stage for an explosive showdown in the 205-pound division.

Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 106 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 106 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Burns vs. Morales” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.