Gilbert Burns is one of the most decorated grapplers in the UFC with two IBJJF no gi World Championships and an ADCC World Championship bronze medal to go with the biggest neck many fans have ever seen. Burns is currently in the process of preparing for his first ever title shot in the UFC Welterweight division against Kamaru Usman, but he took some time out to answer one of the most common questions he gets on his official YouTube channel; how did he get such a strong neck?
He explains that a lot of it comes from a long history of Wrestling, Judo, and BJJ that he’s been involved in since he was a child. Gilbert Burns does also mention using the Iron Neck, which is a product used for strength-training for the neck specifically and is endorsed by a wide variety of athletes:
“It comes from years of training Jiu-Jitsu. I also use the Iron neck like Joe Rogan uses and I also do specific neck exercises.”
The strength that Burns has is definitely going to be giving him some benefit when he meets Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 after his initial title-shot was postponed for a while. As a wrestler first and foremost, Usman is likely to be very heavy in the clinch and it’s well-known that he does some of his best work against the cage. Should Burns manage to negate Usman’s NCAA Division 2 Wrestling and put the champion on his back, or even sweep to top position if he is taken down, it’s easily possible for Burns to finish the fight by submission. Out in the open, Burns has shown time and time again that he has more than enough power to put any Welterweight out for the count.
