Gilbert Burns is looking to stay active in combat sports after retiring from MMA, following a successful UFC BJJ debut in June where he submitted Horlando Monteiro in just over a minute.

Speaking with MMA Fighting’s José Youngs at UFC White House radio row, Burns said he’s “for sure” interested in competing for RAF:

My wrestling is there, you know? It sucks that my last couple of fights I couldn’t show a lot of my wrestling, my grappling, but I’ve always been training, I’ve always been improving.

For sure I’d do wrestling.

While former opponent Khamzat Chimaev recently debuted for RAF with a win over Dillon Danis and is set to face Tyron Woodley on September 5th, Burns sounded more drawn to a matchup with Colby Covington:

[Chimaev is] huge right now… Arman [Tsarukyan], Colby [Covington] is over there. Everyone’s there.
Finally [put my hands on Covington], right? That would be a good one.

RAF, I’ll do the wrestling. Let’s do it.

Burns said life post-retirement has kept him busier than expected, now running his own gym in Florida while also managing fighters.
On the grappling side, he’s expressed interest in facing names like Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz, Demian Maia, Kron Gracie, Benson Henderson, Rafael dos Anjos, Michael Chiesa, Colby Covington, and Dustin Poirier.

He also shared his broader take on where Jiu-Jitsu is heading as an entertainment product:

I think nowadays it’s too much entertainment. People are not going to stop to see a freaking 10-minute match with the gi. I don’t do it.
I think it’s just more entertainment with no-gi.

Technically-wise, they just need a little bit more leg locks. That’s the biggest thing.
But other than that, still jiu-jitsu, still a lot of wrestling, still a lot of cardio, still top position, bottom position, look for submission.

But I think the biggest difference is no-gi got bigger and more leg locks in the game.

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