SUMMARY
- Gilbert Burns narrated a story about his grappling match against Francis Ngannou at their previous gym.
- Ngannou refused to tap which resulted in Burns popping his arm.
Gilbert Burns narrated a story about his grappling match against Francis Ngannou at their previous gym which highlighted Ngannou’s ego. The Welterweight fighter popped the arm of the Heavyweight because he refused to tap out.
On the JAXXON PODCAST, Burns explained how the pair were training at Blackzilians over five years ago. They embarked on a grappling match and Burns had Ngannou for good. The former UFC Heavyweight champion refused to tap out and it led to Burns popping his arm. The Brazilian was scared for his life, however, Ngannou was not angry.
Burns said, “I trained with him before. Yeah, he didn’t like it. That was a long time ago, we were still at the Blazkzilians. So, it’s been more than five years, maybe. And we grappled hard, and I got his arm, and he didn’t tap and I popped his arm. I was so afraid, I said, ‘Oh, my God! This guy’s gonna kill me now’. But he was cool about it. So, but yeah, so, we tried before. But I don’t want to fight that guy.”
Gilbert Burns popped Francis Ngannou’s arm while grappling pic.twitter.com/1OworNPCNl
— calfkicker (@calfkickercom) January 1, 2024
Ngannou’s ego was highlighted by UFC CEO Dana White when the contract discussion between the fighter and the UFC chief fell out. Ngannou signed with PFL and earned himself a boxing bout against Tyson Fury. The British boxer controversially picked up the win against Ngannou via decision.
On the other hand, Burns is preparing himself for a tough fight against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299. He is wary of the danger the Aussie fighter possesses.
Gilbert Burns praises his UFC 299 opponent Jack Della Maddalena’s boxing skills
On the same podcast, Burns was asked about his views on his next opponent.“This guy [Maddalena] is very tough,” Burns said. “He’s 6-0 in the UFC. He’s got crazy knockouts, good boxer, heavy boxer – he’s not just a regular boxer. He rips the guys’ bodies, he comes forward kind of like (Paulo) Costa.
“He fights coming forward, rips the body – so the guy is a good (fighter). He’s that guy that is very tough, that is a little bit scary. I like that, when I feel like, ‘Oh, sh*t – if I’m not 100 percent, sh*t might get crazy.’”
Some HUGE news confirmed for #UFC299 in Miami!! 🚨
Michael ‘Venom’ Page vs Kevin Holland
Song Yadong vs Petr Yan
Gilbert Burns vs Jack Della Maddalena
Ian Garry vs Geoff NealALL official for March 9th pic.twitter.com/kNljpBLpY0
— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2023
Burns (22-6) last faced Belal Muhammad at UFC 288 and lost via unanimous decision. On the other hand, Maddalena (16-2) was last up against Kevin Holland at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2. Maddalena won the bout via split decision. Burns will face Maddalena at UFC 299 on March 9, 2024, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.