Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Shane Burgos is ready to return home.
In August 2022, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) outbid the UFC and signed Burgos, a fan favorite coming off a two-fight win streak, including a 2021 Fight of the Year contender against Billy Quarantillo. But that wasn’t how things were supposed to unfold (details here).
Indeed, UFC made a rare misstep by letting Burgos walk, a decision UFC CEO Dana Whitelater called a “big mistake” because he was always entertaining.
Unfortunately for “Hurricane,” his PFL tenure proved disappointing. He went 1-2, with losses to Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Clay Collard(watch highlights) in 2023, and didn’t compete at all in 2024.
“I went out with the PFL, and I have zero regrets. Hindsight is 20/20,” Burgos told InsideFighting recently. “I made good money over there, and it was a smart decision to make for my family. Like, I’ve had over a year off, and financially, I’m still okay. So, I’m forever grateful for them, and there is no bad blood.”
Despite the financial upside, the PFL’s grueling season format—requiring multiple fights in a short period—took a toll on the all-action fighter.
“It was a physically and mentally grueling and at the time I had two kids and my wife was pregnant so it was a mental struggle,” Burgos said. “It was taxing, not just on the body but the mind as well as my family and I didn’t want to keep doing that to my family. I like time in between fights because after a fight the weight of the world comes off your shoulders…and I can only enjoy my family for a week.”
Now a free agent (again), Burgos has his sights set on one goal: returning to the UFC.
“There’s basically one option for me at this point in mind,” Burgos said. “I want to finish my career in the UFC…I think every fighter in world knows the premier organization is the UFC, so when it’s all said and done, I want to lay my gloves down in the UFC cage. That’s what I want…I wanna finish this story right.”
Given his 8-3 UFC record and reputation for delivering thrilling fights (like this), it’s likely only a matter of time before the UFC re-signs the 34-year-old.
As for his weight class, Burgos plans to compete at Lightweight, as he did in the PFL, since it allows him to take fights on short notice. However, with a proper fight camp, he’s open to dropping back to Featherweight, where he built his UFC legacy.
