This past weekend, Gilbert Burns had designs on rising the welterweight ranks towards title contention.

Now, after his third defeat in as many fights the Brazilian submission specialist sees a chasm between him and the division’s champion Belal Muhammad. On Saturday night inside the UFC’s Apex facility outside of Las Vegas, Burns was outpointed across five rounds by 170-pound prospect Sean Brady in a fight that saw his own title aspirations re-energised.

But for Burns, the loss — which follows similar defeats against Jack Della Maddalena and Muhammad — stings.

“I’m a little bit disappointed,” Burns said in the UFC’s post-fight show with ESPN. “I know I have the grit, I know I can fight hard, but I didn’t let go.

“I just feel like — I felt great this whole freaking week,” Burns added. “I felt good in training camp. This morning was great. But when I got there, it didn’t flow. It just didn’t flow. Nothing was good.

“I didn’t let it go. Props to Sean. Sean is a tough one. I hit him with some good shots, I tried to finish. I think I forced the finish too much.”

Three losses on the spin can be difficult to overcome for a fighter of Burns’ age (38) and he admits that he is unsure of his next move within the sport.

“I’ve got to go back, talk to my coaches, see what’s next,” he said.

“At the same time, give a little time to my family. They give up so much when I’m in a camp for a fight. I’m gonna go back, spend time with the family, go back to train. I don’t have any injuries, thank God. I lost, but at least the body is feeling good.”