In just a couple of week at UFC 258, we are going to see a welterweight title shot that we’ve waited months for. Former teammates will battle it out as the welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman (17-1), takes on Gilbert Burns (19-3).
Both men trained under Henry Hoof at Sanford MMA in Florida before they were originally scheduled to fight each other. Since the, the UFC welterweight champion has moved his camp to Colorado to train under Trevor Wittman.
Gilbert Burns still trains down in Florida and he’s ready for the challenge of Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Burns was originally supposed to fight Usman back in July on the UFC‘s first trip to Fight Island.
However, a week out, Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be taken out of the fight. Usman would go on to defeat Jorge Masvidal (35-13) at UFC 251 to retain the welterweight title. A frustrated Burns watched from home as he recovered from COVID.
The promotion paired the two up again for a fight in December, however, the fight was scrapped after Usman needed more recovery time from injuries. Now, we are finally going to see these two lock horns in a couple of weeks.
Burns told ESPN this week that he believes he will not just win, but finish Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. “I believe I’m going to win. I’m training super hard for that and I believe that I am the guy that can finish Kamaru Usman,” Burns told ESPN.
UFC 258’s Welterweight Showdown
On paper, Gilbert Burns has the perfect style to defeat Kamaru Usman. He’s a multiple time world champion in jiu jitsu so you know he’s not going to be afraid of the grappling. He possesses incredibly fast hands with a ton of power.
In many ways, Burns has more advantages than Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 when you go skill for skill. For those reasons, I actually predicted that Burns would defeat Usman in my pre-2021 predictions.
However, Kamaru Usman’s nickname is a true depiction of what he is. He’s a nightmare for anyone in the division. Usman is incredibly frustrating and has the skills to neutralize almost any opponent he faces.
We’ve seen Burns struggle in the past with guys who can hold him against the fence. Well, there might not be anyone better at that than Kamaru Usman. Usman is going to have to employ a Randy Couture game plan to win this one and he’s fully capable of doing that at UFC 258.
There’s a lot to be excited about in this matchup. Both of these top welterweights know each other extremely well from their time training together. They also both possess skills that are issues for the other. This fight is truly a tossup and I’m so excited to see it playout in a couple of weeks.