Gilbert Burns currently has a big fight booked against the fan-favorite Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. The fight is expected to be the opportunity for Chimaev to see if he is truly elite at welterweight.

Ahead of the fight at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns was on MMAFighting.com’s Trocação Franca podcast. The Brazilian revealed he had some secret weapons in his preparation for Khamzat Chimaev.

“I had to hire two wrestlers, two very tough Russians who are helping me daily,” he said in Portuguese. “They asked to keep their names a secret, and I had to [agree] because they are showing me a lot of stuff, changing a lot of stuff in my game.

“I always liked single-leg [takedowns], double-leg, body lock, but the Russians have different details, unique grips. You’d think they are super strong, but they aren’t. They are strong, but their technique is great.

“There’s a lot of technique with the hip, waist, control. They are ahead of the United States [in that aspect]. I’ve learned a lot in this camp. And you can’t just learn the defense, you have to attack as well so you feel it and develop your defensive skills.”

Gilbert Burns is keeping their names hidden as they don't want to get in trouble with their countryman. Burns isn't surprised considering he was in a similar situation when Charles Oliveira fought Michael Chandler at UFC 262.

“I believe there’s more to it, they haven’t told me, but they’ve asked to remain in secrecy, and I understand them,” he said. “It’s kind of an annoying situation. I was in a similar situation when I helped Michael Chandler a lot to fight Charles [Oliveira].

“I went there with Chandler, helped him in his entire camp, I was rooting for the guy. Of course, I was happy for Charles, but I was in such an awful situation. They are avoiding this situation by coming anonymously.”

There is currently a big push on Khamzat Chimaev from the UFC and the fans are excited to see what he can do. Gilbert Burns used to have a similar push when he moved up to welterweight a few years ago.

“Dana White and the UFC are promoting this kid a lot,” he said. “The things they say, ‘This kid is a killer and no one wants to fight him,’ that helps a lot. But [I’m] not taking anything away from the kid, I think he’s good as hell and very promising. I think he’s tough.

“If he wins in a fight where he’s knocked down or almost submitted, but in the end he wins, he’ll have to fight one more. If I beat him but get knocked down before getting a submission, we’ll have to fight one more.

“A lot can happen, so my first focus is here, training hard, and getting there to put on my best performance, so I’ll have all the cards on the table to try for the belt again.”

Gilbert Burns is set to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273 in April. The bout could help determine who is next for the Kamaru Usman depending on the finish of the bout.