Kevin Burns

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.

Background 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.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career 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 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. 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. 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 Mixed Martial Arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (One time) Submission of the Night (One time) UFC.com Awards 2008: Ranked #9 Newcomer of the Year, Half-Year Awards: Biggest Upset of the 1HY , Ranked #4 Upset of the Year , Ranked #9 Submission of the Year

Mixed martial arts record Loss

James Wood Decision (unanimous) VFC 38: Roberts vs. Arocho

Ralston, Nebraska, United States Win

Mark Stoddard Submission (shoulder choke) MCC 43: High Octane

Des Moines, Iowa, United States Win

Mason Temiquel Submission (rear-naked choke) MCC 42: Lund vs. Schmauss

Des Moines, Iowa, United States Loss

Tom Speer Decision (split) Brutaal: Fight Night

Tama, Iowa, United States Win

Eddie Larrea Submission (rear-naked choke) MCC 37: Thanksgiving Throwdown

Des Moines, Iowa, United States Loss

Koffi Adzitso KO (punches) ZarMMA: Fight Night

Layton, Utah, United States Win

Kalel Robinson Submission (arm-triangle choke) MCC 28: Impact

Des Moines, Iowa, United States Win

Sean Huffman Decision (unanimous) MCC 25: Inferno

Des Moines, Iowa, United States Loss

T. J. Grant TKO (punches) UFC 107

Memphis, Tennessee, United States Loss

Chris Lytle Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Anthony Johnson KO (head kick) The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Anthony Johnson TKO (eye poke) UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Roan Carneiro Submission (triangle choke) UFC 85

London, England Win

Bobby Voelker KO (punch) VFC 23: Validation

Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States Win

Steve Schneider Submission (triangle choke) GFC 2

Des Moines, Iowa, United States Win

Sean Westbrook Submission (rear-naked choke) GFC 1: Genesis

Des Moines, Iowa, United States Loss

Jason High TKO (doctor stoppage) VFC 18: Hitmen

Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States Win

Matt Delanoit Submission (armbar) VFC 17: Predators

Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States Win

Demi Deeds TKO (punches) Greensparks: Full Contact Fighting 1

Clive, Iowa, United States