Gilbert Burns. Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Gilbert Burns apologizes to Jorge Masvidal for greasing allegations

By Marc Ray | Last updated 4/11/23

UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns has apologized to Jorge Masvidal after accusing the 170-pound star of cheating this past Saturday at UFC 287.

After securing a unanimous decision win over Masvidal in the co-main event, Burns said his three-round opponent was “slippery” and accused him of using lotion to gain an advantage.

Masvidal, who fought in his hometown of Miami, Florida at UFC 287, denied any wrongdoing in his 20-year professional fighting career.

On Tuesday, Burns (22-5) retracted his accusations by publicly apologizing to Masvidal for his post-fight comments.

“I just would like to take a moment to apologize to Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal and his team on the things that I said after the fight,” Burns said. “I have no proof that he [cheated] and I don’t want to take nothing away from him.”

Taking this moment to apologize to @GamebredFighter and his team @mikebrownmma @AmericanTopTeam pic.twitter.com/jNZva97ugO
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) April 11, 2023

UFC fighters are routinely checked by referees before entering the octagon to ensure that their body is free of illegal lubricants, including Vaseline.

Burns, the No. 5 ranked welterweight, dominated Masvidal (35-17) to secure a second-straight win and called for a shot at the 170-pound title, whether it’s against champion Leon Edwards or potential challenger Colby Covington.

Masvidal, who suffered his fourth-straight loss, took off his gloves and announced his retirement in front of his hometown crowd. The two-time welterweight title challenger and “BMF” champion had a memorable UFC run that includes wins over Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, Darren Till and Donald Cerrone, to name a very select few.

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