Gilbert Burns won’t be stepping back into the Octagon anytime soon, but it appears his shoulder injury is healing up well after it was determined he wouldn’t need surgery.
“Durinho” is coming off a disappointing performance in the co-main event of UFC 288, which marked his third fight in less than four months. Facing fellow top welterweight contender Belal Muhammad in a five-round affair, Burns injured his shoulder early in the matchup and was clearly compromised for the rest of the bout.
The 36-year-old persevered through what appeared to be a significant amount of pain but lost a clear unanimous decision to Muhammad, and now Burns has provided another promising update for fans as he works back to full health.
“UPDATE ON MY SHOULDER! Went to see the doctor today again, shoulder slowly getting better, still numbness on my thumb and restricted from a lot movement but got a good progress, inflammation reduced a lot! Again thankful that I don’t need surgery but it’s going to be a slow process," Burns said.
The UFC 288 matchup between Burns and Muhammad held considerable stakes for the UFC’s welterweight title picture. “Durinho” previously challenged Kamaru Usman for the division’s belt at UFC 258 and had started this year off with a pair of wins before losing to Muhammad, who is now on an impressive nine-fight winning streak.
The last time “Remember the Name” experienced anything other than victory in the UFC’s Octagon was when he met current welterweight champion Leon Edwards in 2021. That matchup ended in the second round due to an eye poke, and “Rocky” went on to defeat Nate Diaz before upsetting Usman to claim the welterweight belt at UFC 278.
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