MMA is one of the most competitive sports where fighters from all around try their best to beat each other. In the meantime, they train with each other and build a great relationship. Due to the nature of the sport, sometimes they end up fighting one another. However, that wasn’t the case for Gilbert Burns and Vicente Luque.
Burns and Luque train in the same gym. Both fighters represent Kill Cliff FC, which is situated in Florida. UFC middleweight and Kill Cliff fighter Gregory Rodrigues recently spoke with Rampage Jackson. During the conversation, Rodrigues discussed how the UFC tried to have a ‘friend vs. friend’ fight between Burns and Luque. However, both Brazilians immediately rejected the proposal.
The UFC was trying to make the fight but they said, ‘No, we not gonna fight’. Because it’s much more than training partners; it’s a family, and it’s different.
Gregory Rodrigues via JAXXON Podcast
In 2021, Gilbert Burns desperately awaited a fight and asked his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, to talk with UFC. In return, the promotion offered him the opportunity to fight his teammate Luque, who was also under the same management. Burns didn’t take the fight and mentioned that only ‘Mayweather money’ could have convinced him to fight his teammate and nothing else.
Subsequently, Burns faced Khamzat Chimaev but was defeated by a unanimous decision in an absolute war. The Brazilian has been having trouble ever since and is currently on a two-fight losing streak. Comparably, Luque has only won once in his last four games and is likewise going through a difficult time. Nevertheless, both of them were glad they had fought one another.
UFC fighters who refused to participate in a ‘friend vs. friend’ matchup
Like Gilbert Burns and Vicente Luque, many others didn’t fight each other. Hailing from AKA gym, close friends Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez publicly refused to fight each other several times. DC won the UFC heavyweight championship by defeating Stipe Miocic at UFC 226. After winning the belt, DC mentioned that he would never fight Velasquez, one of the top contenders.
Friends who refused to fight each other (via MMA Fighting)Similarly, Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen never fought each other in UFC despite both being active around similar times. Both fighters represented Team Quest, a well-known MMA gym, and often trained together and were good friends. Much recently, it was Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili‘s friendship that prevailed against UFC’s competitive matchmaking.
During his time as the bantamweight champion, Sterling never got any threat from Dvalishvili who was a top contender. Now, Aljo has left the division with the Georgian fighting for the title later this month against Sean O’Malley. Dvalishvili is eager to avenge his friend by beating O’Malley at Noche UFC.
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