Burns: Division will be 'a mess' if Masvidal wins welterweight belt

Gilbert Burns is worried about what a Jorge Masvidal win this weekend could do to the welterweight division.

"Durinho" will thus be rooting for his former teammate, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who will defend his belt against Masvidal in the UFC 251 main event Saturday on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Burns was initially slated as Usman's next challenger, but the No. 1 contender was forced out of the contest last week after testing positive for the coronavirus.

"I want Kamaru to win," Burns told ESPN's Brett Okamoto on Monday. "First of all, because I kind of like the guy. He's not anymore, but he used to be my training partner, so for sure I got Kamaru.

"And if Masvidal wins, too, the things are gonna get crazy. It's going to (be a) circus in that division. ... I think he wants to fight Conor (McGregor) or maybe Nate Diaz. ... I don't think the division is going to run correctly, like with the No. 1, No. 2 guys fighting for the title. ... He's going to make a mess, so that's why - another thing that I want Kamaru to win."

Masvidal stepped up on less than a week's notice for his first UFC title shot. The 35-year-old has already named two opponents he'd like to face should he capture the belt: Diaz, whom he defeated last November, and Stephen Thompson, who beat Masvidal in 2017.

"Gamebred" became one of the promotion's most popular fighters in 2019, scoring stoppage wins over Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Diaz. Masvidal's most recent win earned him the "BMF" title.