Justin Gaethje was not surprised by Kamaru Usman’s performance against Gilbert Burns.
Usman came back from early adversity in the first round to deliver an impressive performance that ultimately saw him TKO Burns in the third round of their welterweight title headliner at UFC 258 last night.
Usman’s jab, in particular, was extremely effective in disrupting the game of Burns as he even managed to drop the Brazilian twice with it before eventually getting the finish.
Many observers praised head coach Trevor Wittman for Usman’s performance and Gaethje — who has been training with Usman for months now — knew what would happen as he made the following prediction after the second round.
“@USMAN84kg finishes him in the next 3 I believe.”
@USMAN84kg finishes him in the next 3 I believe.
— Justin Gaethje
(@Justin_Gaethje) February 14, 2021
(@Justin_Gaethje)
After Usman got the win, “The Highlight” went on to praise the welterweight champion.
“You wish you could see us spar. @USMAN84kg only guy I train with that gets stronger as the round gets higher. Also a work ethic second to none. 
”
You wish you could see us spar. @USMAN84kg only guy I train with that gets stronger as the round gets higher. Also a work ethic second to none.
— Justin Gaethje
It would certainly be nice to see some recent sparring footage especially given how tough both fighters are. After all, Usman recently revealed Gaethje broke his nose before his title fight with Jorge Masvidal last year.
Hopefully, that won’t be the case if Usman vs. Masvidal 2 happens next.
What did you make of Usman’s performance?