UFC 273 results - Volkanovski and Sterling retain belts, Chimaev-Burns is an instant classic

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The story coming into the fight was mainly about Khamzat Chimaev. How good was one of the top prospects to ever grace the Octagon? Could he hang with the top welterweights in the world, one of which is Gilbert Burns?

The answer to the latter question was a resounding yes. The undefeated Chimaev outlasted Burns via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) on the UFC 273 main card Saturday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. It went back and forth, and both men scored punches that dropped the other. It was one of the best UFC fights in recent memory, a three-round battle.

«I didn't know he was so tough,» Chimaev said in his postfight interview.

ESPN had Burns ranked No. 3 in the world at welterweight coming in. Chimaev was unranked, but he won't be for long. This was the first time in his career that Chimaev did not finish.

Chimaev dropped Burns with a perfect left jab near the end of the first round and nearly finished with huge ground and pound. A big elbow from the top caused a cut on Burns' forehead. Burns fired back and dropped Chimaev twice in the second, though the first one seemed more of a slip. Burns had Chimaev hurt toward the end of the round, though.

Chimaev fired back in the third. Burns was tired from the grueling battle, and Chimaev got him against the cage and was landing hard shots while Burns covered up. To his credit, Burns was able to get another wind and land some shots later in the round. But the hard flurries put Chimaev over the top, earning him the biggest win of his career.

Chimaev (10-0) is now 5-0 in the UFC and the previous four wins all came via finish. The Chechnya native, who trains out of All Stars in Sweden, holds the record for the fastest two wins in the UFC