Uniquenes͏s is one of th͏e͏ mos͏t imp͏ortant aspe͏c͏ts of the combat sport͏s worl͏d. Fight͏ers often choose nicknam͏es for themselves that appeal to their fans. Some of these nicknames even define their personalities and tell a story that might otherwise remain hidden.UFC welterweight star Gilbert Burns also has a nickname that tells the depth of his story.

It’s all in the name of Burns. His nickname, that is. Burns is known for his grappling and powering through some of the toughest blows and takedown attempts. Perhaps, his moniker ‘Durinho’ is well deserved. So what does it mean then? Here’s all about it.

How did Gilbert Burns become ‘Durinho’?

Gilbert Burns comes from an MMA family background. Both of his brothers, Herbert and Frederick, began training with Gilbert Burns early on at the Nova Uniao HQ based in Rio de Janeiro. One of their teammates at the gym, Vítor Ribeiro, came up with the nickname ‘Todo-Duro’.

The nickname was intended for Burns’ older brother and translated to ‘Hardman’. It would appear that toughness was a Burns family trait. Of course, everyone considered Gilbert Burns a smaller version of his brother, and so he was named ‘Durinho’.

The name simply translates to ‘Tiny Tough Guy’. That’s pretty much how he attained his name. Through legendary toughness in the gym, Burns became a grappler of the highest skill set and eventually, as fate would have it, translated his skill to MMA.

With a record of 22 victories and 7 defeats, Gilbert Burns’s career has been nothing but monumental. The fighter has become a household name in the realm of combat sports. However, why and how did ‘Durinho’ start his MMA career? Let’s find out.

How did Gilbert Burns start his MMA career?

What happens when you get to know that you have chronic bronchitis during your childhood? Most of the individuals break down as they don’t even talk about it but that is not the case for Gilbert Burns. At one point in time, Burns was taking adrenaline injections to even have a bit of energy for himself, however, the Burns parents understood to make their kid a warrior they would have to push him through rigorous training.

Gilb͏e͏rt Burns ͏and his brother͏s, H͏er͏bert a͏nd Fr͏ed͏erick, were first intro͏duc͏e͏d ͏t͏o jiu-jitsu in an unexpecte͏d͏ wa͏͏y. Wh͏ile helping ͏their father in͏ his up͏holster͏y ͏w͏orkshop, th͏͏ey foun͏d a͏ k͏i͏mon͏o left i͏n a car. The ow͏͏ner͏ of the͏ ca͏r, ͏Master Luiz Carlos, st͏ruck ͏a deal w͏it͏h the͏ir͏ father—offering three ͏month͏͏s o͏͏f jiu-jitsu lessons f͏or ͏each of͏͏ the B͏urns b͏r͏other͏s ͏in exchan͏g͏e ͏͏for ͏the upho͏lst͏͏ery͏͏ w͏or͏k͏. Their father expected the best from his boys and what they did.

Gilbert’s emergence in MMA started when he won Gold in the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships in 2011. After this exceptional winning streak, he joined MMA. His journey from having respiratory disease to becoming one of the best in the entire world is motivating. What’s your take on his story? State your thoughts in the comments below.