Gilbert Burns leaves UFC, MMA with no regrets: 'I gave everything'

Despite not achieving his goal of becoming UFC champion, Gilbert Burns will be at peace as a retiree.

"Durinho" put an end to a 14-year MMA career by leaving his gloves in the octagon following his TKO loss Saturday to Mike Malott in the UFC Fight Night 273 main event. It was an emotional moment for Burns (22-10 MMA, 15-10 UFC). The decision he kept close to his vest, as no one knew retirement was a possibility before the event.

"I gave everything to the sport," Burns told MMA Junkie. "A lot of good fights, fought for the title, fought the toughest guys, the who's who in this division. I knew going into this fight, for sure I was very confident, and I put in a lot of work. (But) when I wasn't able to execute the game plan, when I felt he's a little faster, stronger, a little bit this and that, then I was kind of like, 'OK, if I cannot beat Mike Malott.' Nothing against him. He's a real contender. He's a good fighter, (but) I don't think he's the top of the division like the other guys were. I said, 'I will be honest. If I cannot beat him, that's it. ... If we can beat (Malott), yes, we're going to keep on fighting. We're going to call out Colby (Covington). We're going to get a fight on International Fight Week, and then we're going to keep that thing rolling. But if I cannot beat Mike Malott, that's it.'"

There are always things people wish they would've done differently, but overall Burns is proud of what he did in MMA despite not achieving his dream of becoming a UFC champion. Burns leaves MMA with a clear conscience.

"No regrets," Burns said. "I think I learned so much through the losses through the career. I don't think I would change much. For sure, changing little things here and there. But overall, it was a great learning experience, growing experience. With the results, when they're positive results, we're all happy. We all celebrate. When we lose, it sucks a little bit. We just got to kind of see what we did wrong and try to get better and not make the same mistakes. But it was a good journey. I don't think I would change it much."

Burns believes his career will leave a good message to his kids. The end result will never take away from giving it your all when it comes to chasing your dreams. Burns has no doubt MMA saw his best, and that's what matters for him.

"(My kids) see the sacrifice (and) they see me training every day," Burns explained. "I do a lot of physical therapy, so I'm doing freaking PT every day, recovering, stretching, pilates, and ice baths every day before they go to school. So they see everything. And then sometimes the results don't come my way. And then I say, 'But you guys saw the journey, right?' I didn't leave any stone unturned. I did everything. But sometimes the result is not going to come. It's just life. Sometimes you do everything right, but the guy did better at that moment. And it is what it is."