Gilbert Burns Says He’s Ready For Olivier Aubin-Mercier At UFC 231

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Gilbert Burns said that he’s ready to grapple with Olivier Aubin-Mercier at tonight’s UFC 231 PPV, where the two are set for a lightweight bout. Here are highlights:

On the stakes of the fight: “We’re both coming off a loss, but neither one of us has ever lost two in a row. Somebody will after we finally meet. I’m training hard so it’s not me.”

On his loss to Dan Hooker: “There have been many lessons from my last bout. I was very well trained. I connected with a hard strike. I saw that he felt it. I tried to go for a finish, but I exposed myself too much and got hit hard in return. I didn’t have time to recover. I think I panicked a little, rushed to get the win, and ended up getting hit even harder. I shouldn’t have made that mistake against Dan Hooker, who’s a very long fighter, an expert striker. The main lesson is to stick to my strategy. After I hit him hard, I fell out of the strategy I trained for.”

On his fight with Aubin-Mercier: “He’s a good fighter who doesn’t shy from a ground battle. I’ve studied him extensively and my new strategy had been put together. My plan is to take him down and submit him.”