WINNIPEG - Gilbert Burns won't get many cheers when he walks out to face Canadian Mike Malott in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday at Canada Life Centre.
But he doesn't mind.
"I like the hostile territory," Burns told reporters, including theScore, at Wednesday's media day.
In fact, Burns, who's from Brazil and trains out of Kill Cliff FC in Florida, hopes to win over the fans by the end of the night.
"When I was in Canada a couple years ago, I got a little booed, but I got cheers at the end," Burns said. "I'm gonna upset a couple of guys on Saturday. ... There's gonna be some boos, and I'm OK with that. But I'm looking forward to stealing the crowd at the end."
Burns is returning to the Octagon for the first time since his knockout loss to Michael Morales last May, marking his longest layoff in nine years. He's also attempting to snap the longest skid of his professional MMA career. "Durinho" has dropped four in a row dating back to May 2023, a slump that began with a unanimous decision loss to Belal Muhammad and includes defeats against Jack Della Maddalena and Sean Brady.
The 39-year-old said he wants nothing more than to get back on track.
"I want to win so bad," Burns said. "I'm so hungry to get the win."
Standing in his way is Malott, a 34-year-old Burlington, Ontario, native whom many consider to be the current face of Canadian MMA and the country's best shot at its first UFC champion since Georges St-Pierre. Malott, who has been on the cusp of the welterweight rankings for a while, enters his first main event riding a three-fight winning streak and with a 6-1 record in the Octagon overall.
Though Burns considers Malott a "great" fighter, he doesn't think the Niagara Top Team product is quite on the same level as some of his past opponents.
Burns has stepped into the Octagon with the best fighters in the world, including Kamaru Usman in a 2021 title bout, and believes that will give him the edge against Malott.
"I just think those guys have more experience," Burns said. "They're more tested, they have more fights. Jack was almost undefeated when I faced him. Sean Brady just lost to Belal. Morales is still undefeated. I think those guys were more tested than Mike. But I'm not taking anything away from Mike. It's gonna be a good fight."
Burns, a 3-1 underdog versus Malott, is well aware that many believe he's lost a step. But the former title challenger is choosing to tune out the noise going into Saturday's bout.
"I hear that a little bit, but I hear a lot of things," Burns said. "I think those opinions you gotta filter a little bit and be honest and be real with who you're going to listen to.
"There's always gonna be guys that say, 'He's done.' ... Who I'm gonna listen to the most will be my family, my closest friends, my coaches. Those are the opinions that matter to me."
