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Gilbert Burns recalls career-altering phone call with mother
TL;DR
Gilbert Burns shared a poignant story about a phone call with his mother during tough times in his career, where he initially intended to ask her for money but ended up promising to send her some instead. This moment motivated him to succeed in his MMA career.
Key points
- Gilbert Burns faced financial struggles early in his career.
- He had a significant phone call with his mother asking for help.
- Burns promised to send money to his mother despite his own hardships.
- He had a successful MMA career spanning over a decade.
- Burns retired after a loss to Mike Malott at UFC Winnipeg.
Mentioned in this story
UFC
Gilbert BurnsKamaru UsmanMike Malott
Gilbert Burns saw some hard times early in his career.
Burns recently recalled a heartbreaking phone call with his mother. Burns couldn’t even pay his own rent when he suffered a bout of bronchitis. “Durinho” called his mother, planning to ask her for some money to buy medicines. Burns didn’t want to ask for money right away and had a lengthy conversation with his mother. However, it was Burns’ mother who ended up asking for his help instead. Burns promised her that while he didn’t have any money then, he would send some soon. The Brazilian remembers telling himself after the incident that he didn’t have any choice other than becoming successful in life.
“My rent would be like $7-8 a month, that I didn’t have to pay. I have guys helping out, paying my rent,” Burns said in a recent interview (via Home of Fight). “That week I was having bronchitis, I was gonna call my mom just to see if she had money for medicine to help me out. When I called her, I talked to her for a long time. I’m not gonna ask for money right away… When we started talking, she asked if I had any money to send to her. And I told her, ‘I don’t right now. But I’m gonna send it to you pretty soon.’... It was very hard. I’m remember talking to myself and saying, ‘I’m gonna make it happen. I gotta make it happen, I have to make it happen.’ And I remember just going crazy in training.”
Burns (22-10) went on to have a stellar MMA career. Burns fought the who’s who of the UFC welterweight division in his tenure in the promotion, spanning over more than a decade, even unsuccessfully challenging former teammate Kamaru Usman for the title in 2021. The 39-year-old finally hung up his gloves last weekend following a stoppage loss against Mike Malott at UFC Winnipeg.
💔 Gilbert Burns once called his mother to ask for money, but before he got the chance, she asked if he had any to send:
“I needed to pay rent, which was $7–8, and I had bronchitis. So I called my mom to see if she had money for medicine to help me out.
When I called her, I… — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
Q&A
What did Gilbert Burns say during his phone call with his mother?
Gilbert Burns recalled promising his mother that he would send her money soon, despite struggling to pay his own rent.
How did Gilbert Burns' early struggles impact his MMA career?
Burns' difficult experiences, including financial hardships and health issues, motivated him to train harder and ultimately achieve success in MMA.
What was the outcome of Gilbert Burns' last fight?
Gilbert Burns retired after losing by stoppage to Mike Malott at UFC Winnipeg.