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Brett Okamoto
Multiple Authors
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns announced his retirement Saturday following a knockout loss to Mike Malott in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Burns (22-10) removed his gloves and brought his family into the Octagon as the announcement was made. Burns, 39, has been fighting professionally since 2007 and exclusively in the UFC since 2014.
“I think that’s it,” Burns said in his postfight interview. “I had a great career. I fought so hard. I wanted to win so bad. I fought the best guys in the world, pound-for-pound, a lot of champions. I never said no to a fight. I’m content.”
Malott (13-2-1) finished the 170-pound main event at the 2:08 mark of the third round after he dropped Burns with a clean left hook. Saturday’s loss was Burns’ fifth in a row, three of which came via knockout. His last victory came against Jorge Masvidal in April 2023.
Burns challenged his teammate and former No. 1 pound-for-pound candidate Kamaru Usman for the UFC championship in February 2021. He came up short via third-round knockout. He was a mainstay in the UFC’s welterweight rankings for years, with wins over Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. He gave then-welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev all he could handle in a back-and-forth Fight of the Night in April 2022 but ultimately lost by unanimous decision.
Malott, who is from Ontario, Canada, earned his fourth consecutive win and could crack the UFC’s top 10 rankings.