One of the more interesting storylines going into UFC 251 was the fact that champion, Kamaru Usman (16-1), and challenger, Gilbert Burns (19-3), both were training partners. The two men have trained together for a while under Henri Hooft at Hard Knocks 365. Well, just weeks before the two teammates square off, Usman has decided to leave the camp, and the state of Florida.
Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC welterweight champion will be moving his camp to Denver. He’s going to be training under Trevor Wittman who is the lead trainer for Justin Gaethje and Rose Namajunas. Namajunas is also fighting on the July 11th card. Wittman is notorious for only working with a few fighters. He likes to give all of his attention to his select fighters. Justin Gaethje might be in the corner for Usman’s title defense against Burns.
The UFC welterweight champ could get even better
“But I wanted a little more specific attention at this point in my career — someone to be able to say, ‘You’re going to come in at this time and work on this particular skill.’ It’s very tough to do that when there are 40 to 50 guys in the room with you who also need to get attention,” Usman said to Okamoto. Again, Wittman is very focused on his particular fighters, and this move will likely benefit the champion. Plus, it doesn’t hurt having a training partner like the great Justin Gaethje.
I cannot wait for the UFC welterweight title fight on July 11th. I’m very curious to see how Usman looks in his first camp outside of Florida. We know that Usman is already elite, but working with a coach like Trevor Wittman could take him to the next level. It’s going to be a fun month culminating in a big-time fight at UFC 251.