UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns says the UFC tried to match him up against Vicente Luque, but both fighters declined the matchup.

Burns and Luque are two of the top-five ranked welterweights in the UFC, and both men are currently without a fight booked, so it makes sense that they fight, right? Not so fast. Not only do both fighters train together at Sanford MMA, but they are also incredibly close friends and essentially “brothers,” as Luque told BJPenn.com’s Cole Shelton back in April. Luque said then that he would never fight Burns due to their close familial relationship.

Speaking to MMAFighting.com in a recent interview, Burns reaffirmed that he and Luque will not fight each other. According to Burns, had the two not been such close friends, they would have already fought by now, but a close brotherhood means the fight won’t happen.

“(The long wait for a fight) is a bit frustrating, I won’t say it isn’t, but it’s part of the job. The UFC said the fight to make would be Vicente and I, but since we have this partnership, it won’t happen. This brotherhood screwed us, otherwise we would have fought already. If we had fought, No. 2 against No. 4, I’d be way up there with a win, and Vicente would be up there with a win as well. I think that’s what’s keeping us stuck, more than the other guys (in the division),” Burns said.

“It makes sense (based on) the rankings. They know we won’t fight but still asked and tried to make it happen, but we declined. Vicente was the only fight I turned down in the entire division and vice versa. Other than that, I’ve already said I’ll fight anyone.”

What do you think about the UFC offering Gilbert Burns a fight against Vicente Luque knowing that both men were unlikely to accept the fight?