Herbert Burns vows to return strong after suffering an ugly loss at UFC Long Island.
The Brazilian featherweight looked to be headed to a win early against Bill Algeo at Saturday’s show in Elmont, N.Y., but his performance level notably dropped off after he failed to submit Algeo with a triangle choke in Round 1. Burns struggled to stand up from the canvas and had to be helped over to his corner by his team between rounds.
Burns’ older brother Gilbert could be heard verbally pushing him to continue, which Herbert did — only to lose via TKO a little under two minutes later when he was unable to stand. The UFC Long Island commentary team noted that Burns was coming off of surgery to his ACL, and Burns later released a statement in which he confirmed that a knee injury contributed to his loss.
” I want to thank everybody for the support today,” Burns stated via social media. It wasn’t what I expected. It gave up on me. The knee was unstable. I couldn’t continue fighting. I couldn’t finish the triangle. Although I was unable to perform in the manner I desired, I will be returning.
” I don’t know what will happen. Another surgery? We’ll see. We’ll see.
In the video, which can be seen below, Burns is standing on crutches with his right leg in a brace.
Message to the fans, thank you, I will be back! #UFCLongIsland pic.twitter.com/xpFcIK8prV
— Herbert Burns (@HerbertBurnsMMA) July 16, 2022
After starting his UFC career in August with three consecutive first-round finishes,
Burns now has lost two of his last fights. Saturday marked his first fight since August 2020.