UFC 273: Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev Picks and Predictions

Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev face off  in a welterweight bout at UFC 273 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Gilbert Burns is ranked second in the division while Chimaev is ranked 11th. 

Gilbert Burns comes into this fight with a 20-4 record overall and he has won seven of his last eight fights. The only loss was two fights ago against Kamara Usman and that ended by a knockout in the 3rd round. Burns bounced back in the last fight against Stephen Thompson. Burns only had 29 significant strikes but he had three takedowns and he really dominated the fight. Burns was by unanimous decision. Burns is averaging 3.12 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 2.90 significant strikes per minute. Burns wants to get the fight to the ground and he is averaging 2.16 successful takedowns every 15 minutes but he is only successful on 36 percent of those attempts. He also stop 50 percent of his opponents takedown attempts.

On the other side of this matchup is Khamzat Chimaev who has a perfect 10-0 record and he has won each of his four fights in the UFC by finish. Two of the fights came by submission and the other two fights were by knockout. Chimaev is averaging 8.68 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 0.08 significant strikes per minute. He is also averaging 4.65 successful takedowns every 15 minutes and has a 66 percent success rate. Chimaev is also averaging 5.8 submission attempts every 15 minutes. Chimaev has found a lot of success inside the UFC, but this is a big step up in competition and a true test.