Chimaev earns contender status with wild decision over Burns

There's no denying Khamzat Chimaev is on a path to greatness now.

In his biggest test yet, Chimaev defeated former title challenger Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a welterweight bout at UFC 273 on Saturday night in Jacksonville.

Chimaev and Burns traded massive shots throughout all three rounds. Chimaev dropped Burns late in the first with a straight right and ended the frame by landing powerful ground-and-pound shots.

Burns evened the score in the second, using his slick stand-up skills to outpoint and hurt Chimaev.

Though it seemed like Burns had the momentum going into the final round, Chimaev secured the victory by winning the most competitive stanza of the contest. He found a second wind and landed huge shots on Burns down the stretch.

With the victory, Chimaev moves to 5-0 in the UFC and is now a top contender in the welterweight division.

Burns, who was ranked No. 2 going into Saturday's clash, dropped to 1-2 in his past three outings.