Despite Falling Short of UFC Gold, Gilbert Burns Retires at Peace With His Career

Although Gilbert Burns never captured a UFC title, he says he can walk away from MMA with peace of mind.

After a 14-year career in the sport, Burns announced his retirement by leaving his gloves in the octagon following a TKO loss to Mike Malott in the main event of UFC Fight Night 273 on Saturday. It was an emotional moment for Burns (22-10 MMA, 15-10 UFC), especially since he had kept the possibility of retirement private heading into the fight.

"I gave everything to the sport," Burns told MMA Junkie. "A lot of good fights, fought for the title, fought the toughest guys, the who's who in this division. I knew going into this fight, for sure I was very confident, and I put in a lot of work. (But) when I wasn't able to execute the game plan, when I felt he's a little faster, stronger, a little bit this and that, then I was kind of like, 'OK, if I cannot beat Mike Malott.' Nothing against him. He's a real contender. He's a good fighter, (but) I don't think he's the top of the division like the other guys were. I said, 'I will be honest. If I cannot beat him, that's it. ... If we can beat (Malott), yes, we're going to keep on fighting. We're going to call out Colby (Covington). We're going to get a fight on International Fight Week, and then we're going to keep that thing rolling. But if I cannot beat Mike Malott, that's it.'"

There are always things people wish they would have done differently, but Burns is proud of what he accomplished in MMA, even if he never achieved his dream of becoming a UFC champion. He leaves the sport with no regrets.

"No regrets," Burns said. "I think I learned so much through the losses through the career. I don't think I would change much. For sure, changing little things here and there. But overall, it was a great learning experience, growing experience. With the results, when they're positive results, we're all happy. We all celebrate. When we lose, it sucks a little bit. We just got to kind of see what we did wrong and try to get better and not make the same mistakes. But it was a good journey. I don't think I would change it much."

Burns believes his career will leave an important message for his children. Even if the final result is not what you hoped for, there is value in giving everything you have in pursuit of your dreams. Burns believes he left nothing behind in MMA, and that is what matters most to him.

"(My kids) see the sacrifice (and) they see me training every day," Burns explained. "I do a lot of physical therapy, so I'm doing freaking PT every day, recovering, stretching, pilates, and ice baths every day before they go to school. So they see everything. And then sometimes the results don't come my way. And then I say, 'But you guys saw the journey, right?' I didn't leave any stone unturned. I did everything. But sometimes the result is not going to come. It's just life. Sometimes you do everything right, but the guy did better at that moment. And it is what it is."