Kevin Bertrand Burns (born March 3, 1980) is a former American mixed martial artist who previously competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has formerly competed for the UFC.

Kevin Burns
Born (1980-03-03) March 3, 1980 (age 44)
Carroll, Iowa, United States
Other namesThe Fire
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
DivisionWelterweight
Reach74 in (190 cm)
Fighting out ofDes Moines, Iowa, United States
TeamGrudge Training Center
Rank Brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Black belt in Tae Kwon Do
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins12
By knockout3
By submission8
By decision1
Losses7
By knockout4
By decision3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

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Originally from Glidden, Iowa, Burns was a talented football player, competing at the collegiate level. Burns later began training in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 18, before transitioning into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and then finally mixed martial arts.[1]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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With only ten months of training, Burns made his amateur MMA debut, defeating Josh Neer. Burns took a year off after the win but returned when Neer called him out for a rematch. Burns took his first loss in the bout.

Four years later, Burns won his professional debut against Demi Deeds. He won his next fight before losing to Jason High. The loss did not slow down Burns, as he racked up three more wins. With the wins he earned a four-fight deal with the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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At UFC 85 Burns made his debut for the UFC, earning the upset win over Roan Carneiro. He submitted Roan in the second round and was awarded Submission of the Night.

During his fight with Anthony Johnson in UFC: Silva vs. Irvin, he repeatedly poked Johnson in the eyes, for which he received four separate warnings by the referee, Steve Mazzagatti. In the third round, Johnson fell to the ground writhing in pain after an exchange with Burns, and Mazzagatti called the fight to protect Johnson, who was clearly unable to defend himself. Only after seeing the replay from a different camera angle was it seen that the reason for Johnson falling to the ground was due to one of Burns's open handed jabs landing deep into his eye.[2] After some confusion, Steve Mazzagatti stopped the bout. After the fight Johnson appealed the decision as being poked in the eye was a foul, but it was ultimately rejected due to lack of remedy.[3] Burns has claimed that the eye-jabs were not intentional and due to a prior broken hand, which he states forced him to punch with a looser hand.

Johnson defeated Burns with a third-round knockout in their rematch at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale.

Burns was defeated by Chris Lytle via unanimous decision in a back and forth war at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale. The fight did prove to be positive as Burns was given an extra $25,000 for earning Fight of the Night.

Burns lost to T. J. Grant via first round TKO at UFC 107. After losing three straight bouts, Burns was released from the UFC.

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed Martial Arts

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
19 matches 12 wins 7 losses
By knockout 3 4
By submission 8 0
By decision 1 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 12–7 James Wood Decision (unanimous) VFC 38: Roberts vs. Arocho December 15, 2012 5 5:00 Ralston, Nebraska, United States For the VFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 12–6 Mark Stoddard Submission (shoulder choke) MCC 43: High Octane October 12, 2012 1 2:52 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Win 11–6 Mason Temiquel Submission (rear-naked choke) MCC 42: Lund vs. Schmauss August 3, 2012 1 3:16 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Loss 10–6 Tom Speer Decision (split) Brutaal: Fight Night May 11, 2012 3 5:00 Tama, Iowa, United States
Win 10–5 Eddie Larrea Submission (rear-naked choke) MCC 37: Thanksgiving Throwdown November 23, 2011 1 1:09 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Loss 9–5 Koffi Adzitso KO (punches) ZarMMA: Fight Night November 12, 2010 1 1:54 Layton, Utah, United States
Win 9–4 Kalel Robinson Submission (arm-triangle choke) MCC 28: Impact August 6, 2010 1 3:18 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Win 8–4 Sean Huffman Decision (unanimous) MCC 25: Inferno March 13, 2010 3 5:00 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Loss 7–4 T. J. Grant TKO (punches) UFC 107 December 12, 2009 1 4:57 Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Loss 7–3 Chris Lytle Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale June 20, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 7–2 Anthony Johnson KO (head kick) The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale December 13, 2008 3 0:28 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–1 Anthony Johnson TKO (eye poke) UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin July 19, 2008 3 3:35 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Johnson appealed for the result to be overturned which was rejected by NSAC.[5]
Win 6–1 Roan Carneiro Submission (triangle choke) UFC 85 June 7, 2008 2 2:53 London, England Submission of the Night.
Win 5–1 Bobby Voelker KO (punch) VFC 23: Validation May 9, 2008 1 0:30 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win 4–1 Steve Schneider Submission (triangle choke) GFC 2 December 15, 2007 2 4:13 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Win 3–1 Sean Westbrook Submission (rear-naked choke) GFC 1: Genesis April 20, 2007 1 3:22 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Loss 2–1 Jason High TKO (doctor stoppage) VFC 18: Hitmen February 16, 2007 2 5:00 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win 2–0 Matt Delanoit Submission (armbar) VFC 17: Predators December 9, 2006 1 3:29 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win 1–0 Demi Deeds TKO (punches) Greensparks: Full Contact Fighting 1 August 19, 2006 1 3:58 Clive, Iowa, United States

References

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  1. ^ "Kevin Burns | UFC". 14 September 2018.
  2. ^ UFC Silva vs. Irvin Play-by-Play http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-silva-vs-irvin-play-by-play-13728
  3. ^ "UFC News Archives - Cage Potato".
  4. ^ Thomas Gerbasi (July 7, 2008). "The Upsets - The Highly Unofficial Half-Year Awards". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  5. ^ "Anthony Johnson fails in attempt to have Kevin Burns result overturned". 14 September 2008.
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