‘Cut him immediately’ – MMA fans turn on fighter after he appears to give up at UFC 305
Dana White has been told to cut Herbert Burns from his roster.
The younger brother of welterweight contender Gilbert Burns squared off against Jack Jenkins at UFC 305 in Perth on Saturday night.
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Jenkins appeared to be the superior striker from the opening bell, and he caught the eye of fans with his strong attacks on the head and midsection.
Burns desperately tried to take the fight to the floor. The 36-year-old scored a couple of takedowns and repeatedly pulled guard – but he couldn’t take advantage when they hit the mat.
As the fight wore on, Burns began to look visibility fatigued. ‘The Blaze’ was dropped by Jenkins, who initially knocked him off balance with a leg kick before following up with an overhand right.
The Aussie fan favourite swarmed with a series of ground strikes, but when he realised it wouldn’t result in a stoppage, he stepped back to his feet and invited Burns to do the same.
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Completely gassed and potentially dazed, Burns refused to stand up.
Veteran referee Marc Goddard took one look at him and waved off the fight with just 48 seconds left on the clock.
Angry UFC fans reacted to Burns seemingly quitting by calling on White to remove him from the roster.
One person tweeted: “Cut him immediately.”
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Another said: “One of the most pathetic showings I've ever seen on the UFC.”
Someone else commented: “I think that is the last Herbert Burns fight we see in the UFC.”
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A fourth fan fumed: “He always gives up. Cut him now!!”
MMA fans may get their wish as Burns is now riding a four-fight losing streak and that is usually the type of run that results in someone getting their marching orders.
White wouldn’t have liked seeing Burns give up on himself, especially as he did the same thing during his TKO loss to Bill Algeo in July 2022.
The future looks much brighter for Jenkins, who stretched his UFC record to 3-1 and improved to 13-1 overall since transitioning to professional MMA in 2016.
Jenkins entered the bout on the back of a TKO loss, which was triggered by an arm injury when he fought Chepe Mariscal last September.
Gavin Tucker was his original opponent for UFC 305, and during a post-fight interview with former dual-weight champion Daniel Cormier, Jenkins suggested that’s who he wants to face next.
“I think it’s an easy job for the matchmakers,” he said.
“I used to live in Edmonton, Canada. There’s a show there on November 2.
“So, what we’re going to do is go and fight Gavin Tucker, who is Canadian and who I was supposed to fight here tonight."
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