Gilbert Burns made a rapid return to his grappling roots on Thursday, submitting Horlando Monteiro in just 82 seconds in the co-main event of UFC BJJ 9 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Burns, who retired from MMA in April, finished Monteiro by rear-naked choke in his first jiu-jitsu competition back under the UFC banner.
“I’m back to my roots,” Burns said after the victory, adding, “Try to stop me.”
In the main event, Mason Fowler retained his light heavyweight belt with a first-round rear-naked choke submission over Devhonte Johnson.
Bella Mir also stayed perfect in UFC BJJ action, submitting Nichelle Johnson by armbar in the third round to improve to 3-0 in the promotion. Mir entered the event with a 4-0 professional MMA record and is the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
The UFC BJJ 9 card delivered a string of submission finishes, with additional wins by Nick Rodriguez, Ffion Davies, Achilles Rocha, John Chandler, and Ana Lima.
