The people's main event of UFC 273 sees Khamzat Chimaev get a big test in top-5 welterweight Gilbert Burns. Chimaev has plenty of hype and many are excited to see how he performs in his first big test. Burns is a well-rounded fighter who came from a grappling background. He has heavy hands and has looked like a completely different fighter at welterweight. Chimaev is facing a fighter that has the grappling credentials to hang with him and the heavy hands to test his durability. Chimaev's heavy pressure means the fight has no choice but to be an exciting one and both men are in for a big test. UFC 273 is going to be a turning point for the career of both men.

 

Gilbert Burns is an elite welterweight and has proven himself in the weight class. He almost knocked out Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman and holds a big win over Stephen Thompson in his last outing. His only loss at welterweight has been to Kamaru Usman and he still found success in that fight. Burns is a well-rounded fighter with heavy hands and excellent grappling. He poses the perfect test for Khamzat Chimaev and will be looking to prove he's not just a stepping stone for the Russian. The Brazilian will be dangerous everywhere and will be looking to land a slick submission or use his power to earn the stoppage. How he deals with the pressure from Chimaev is going to be very interesting.

Khamzat Chimaev is the huge favorite in this fight and it's going to be interesting to see if that is deserved. He has made every fight in the UFC look easy so far. His last outing was against the number 11 ranked Li Jingliang and that's a very different fight than the number 2 ranked Gilbert Burns. Chimaev brings excellent pressure and is constantly looking to break his opponents. Burns is a very big test and is truly going to help see if the Swedish fighter belongs at the top of the division or if he needs more time to develop. The odds for this fight are very wild and many people are taking a chance on Burns because of the wild odds. How Chimaev's grappling matches up with the slick jiu-jitsu of Burns is going to be very interesting and will help to determine if welterweight has a new contender.

Here are the UFC 273 odds, featuring our Burns-Chiamev prediction, courtesy of FanDuel.

UFC 273 Odds: Burns-Chimaev Odds

Gilbert Burns (+380)

Khamzat Chimaev (-490)

Over 1.5 rounds (-122)

Under 1.5 rounds (-104)

How Gilbert Burns Wins The Fight At UFC 273

Gilbert Burns is a very well-rounded fighter with plenty of skills to upset Khamzat Chimaev. The Brazilian has big power on the feet and excellent jiu-jitsu with plenty of slick submissions. Dealing with Chimaev's length and pressure is going to be very important for Durinho to win the fight. Forcing Chimaev onto the ground and forcing him to fight from the bottom is going to be what finds him the most success. Fighters that use a high-pressure game aren't used to opponents pressuring back and Burns has the ground game to not worry about Chimaev. Burns is very physically strong and should be able to match the strength of Chimaev. Keeping the fight on the feet is an option but the Swedish fighter has plenty of length and power to cause problems. Burns wins a decision similar to how he beat Stephen Thompson in his last fight.

How Khamzat Chimaev Wins The Fight At UFC 273

The Russian-Swede is set to put his game to the test with his first elite opponent in MMA. He'll look to pressure Gilbert Burns early and land some big shots in order to test his chin. He won't be scared to go to the ground but he'll need to control the action in order to avoid getting himself in a bad spot. He'll keep Burns against the fence and see how his striking matches up. The big shots will come and seeing how Burns eats them will determine if the takedown comes. His pressure should be enough to find the big knockout on the feet and continue his undefeated run at UFC 273.

Final Burns-Chimaev Prediction & Pick

This is a very tough fight to figure out. Khamzat Chimaev has never fought someone of Gilbert Burns' caliber so it's tough to figure out how exactly he matches up. Burns is a proven welterweight and his only loss so far is to the champion. Chimaev's pressure early on should prove to be a problem and his power on the feet is going to force a reaction out of Burns. The Brazilian will most likely look to match the pressure and how he handles the power is going to determine how the fight goes. The Russian-born fighter looks to get Burns' back against the fence and land big shots to find the knockout early.

Final Chimaev-Burns Pick: Khamzat Chimaev wins by knockout in the first round.