In Limbo No Longer

When Herbert Burns walks to the cage to face Bill Algeo as part of the UFC on ABC 3 undercard this Saturday at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, nearly two years will have passed since his most recent appearance inside the Octagon. To what does he owe such an extended absence? Reconstructive surgery on his right knee.

“I had a serious injury,” Burns told Sherdog.com. “It was a total tear of my ACL. It took a long time to recover. That’s why sports fans haven’t seen me in a long time. Now, I’m back, and I’m here to stay.”

It did not go well the last time Burns competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as he missed weight by 3.5 pounds for his UFC 252 pairing with Daniel Pineda on Aug. 15, 2020, then succumbed to a volley of second-round elbows from the former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder. The setback snapped his five-fight winning streak, which included decisive UFC victories over Nate Landwehr and Evan Dunham.

“I came in on six days’ notice,” Burns said. “I tried to rush the weight cut, and I had an injury that made that difficult. I tried to make up for the lack of time by dehydrating myself. In the end, I wasn’t in a good physical condition for the fight and didn’t have a good performance. My body simply wasn’t responding. Going forward, I would only accept a last-minute booking if I was already close to my target weight. I also wouldn’t accept a fight if I had an injury. It’s all a learning experience.

“If we fought again, the result would be completely different,” he added. “That’s fine. We’re moving forward. We learn from our mistakes. The main thing is not to repeat them.”

Algeo serves as a formidable obstacle in the Brazilian’s return. The onetime Ring of Combat champion carries a 2-2 record in the UFC, his wins over Spike Carlyle and Joanderson Brito offset by losses to Ricardo Lamas and Ricardo Ramos. Algeo has not suffered a stoppage defeat since 2014.

“I’m focused on myself,” Burns said. “I see myself winning in every possible way. I have a stronger team and better ji-jitsu. I’ll get a finish, either by knockout or submission.”

Operating out of a star-studded Sanford MMA camp that includes better-known older brother Gilbert Burns and a host of other world-class stablemates, “The Blaze” has good reason to be confident in his preparation.

“To me, it’s the best team in the world,” Burns said. “The strategy is to show up, impose my game, move forward and get a finish. That’s not going to change, regardless of the opponent.”

Beyond his encounter with Algeo, the 34-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt would like nothing more than to start making up for lost time. However, he knows a great deal hinges on the outcome of his latest test.

“I’m focused on this fight for now. I don’t like to look too far ahead,” Burns said. “I would love to remain active and fight at least one more time this year, preferably twice. Regardless of my opponent’s team or background, once the Octagon cage closes, it’s just the two of us.”