Gilbert Burns will enter the Octagon tonight as a man determined to make history. Progress. Fighters like Amanda Nunes, Anderson Silva, José Aldo, Fabricio Werdum, Jéssica Andrade, and many others have progressed much more than just their individual na…
Gilbert Burns will enter the Octagon tonight as a man determined to make history. Progress. Fighters like Amanda Nunes, Anderson Silva, José Aldo, Fabricio Werdum, Jéssica Andrade, and many others have progressed much more than just their individual names but that of Brazil. In fact, from the strawweight division all the way up to heavyweight, […]
Check out the LowKickMMA staff predictions ahead of the UFC 258 main event between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. Jordan Ellis: I really have found it hard picking a winner from the UFC 258 main event. Ultimately, I’m backing Kamaru Usman to retain his title for a few reasons. Firstly, he is one […]
Check out the LowKickMMA staff predictions ahead of the UFC 258 main event between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.
Jordan Ellis: I really have found it hard picking a winner from the UFC 258 main event. Ultimately, I’m backing Kamaru Usman to retain his title for a few reasons. Firstly, he is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the UFC. Secondly, he has look close to flawless throughout his run with the promotion. Finally, he appears to be a dominant champion and I expect him to prove he’s just that by beating Gilbert Burns who certainly should not be overlooked in this fight.
Prediction: Kamaru Usman
Alex Lough: Kamaru Usman may not be the most exciting fighter, but he is definitely one of the most dominant. Each opponent he has faced has claimed that they have the ability to stop him, only to spend the entirety of the fight underneath him. I don’t see this fight being any different. I’ll give you that Burns has the best grappling Usman has gone up against and a definite advantage on the feet, but it won’t be enough. Usman is just too big and powerful of a wrestler for anyone in the welterweight division to handle right now. He’s cancelled out his opponents output time and time again, and will likely continue to be a puzzle no one can solve for some time to come. It won’t be exciting, pretty, or that outcome that I would want, but Usman by UD.
Prediction: Kamaru Usman
Frank Bonada: There was a time when both these fighters were almost exclusively 1 trick ponies. Usman relied on his impressive wrestling background to physically dominate opponents, whilst Burns’ Jiu-jitsu credentials saw him rack up 3 armbar finishes in his first 5 UFC outings. However, since then, both men have evolved as mixed martial artists, both under the tutelage of Henri Hooft and the Hard Knocks 365 team. This of course adds the caveat that both men have trained together extensively. It will likely be an incredibly close matchup, with Usman having the strength advantage and Burns having an edge on speed. I want to pick Burns, he has an exciting well-rounded style and can produce spectacular finishes. However, looking back at his recent fights, the takedown he gave up to Damian Maia just makes me think that should Usman wish to grind the fight out with himself in a dominant position, he could likely do it at will. If it turns into a standup war, then Usman’s range and use of straight shots will also give him the edge. Usman to win via Unanimous decision, though I hope to be proven wrong.
Prediction: Kamaru Usman
Karim Nathan: This fight is the hardest fight for Usman so far, because when you look at it stylistically you would think that Burns has an answer to Usman’s strong areas. If Usman stays standing you feel Burns is more powerful, if he takes takes him down Burns has the superior grappling. However, saying that I think that Usman knows that its his toughest fight so far and has created a plan with Trevor Wittman and I feel Usman is just a bit stronger and has the higher fight IQ so he will hold him against the fence, use dirty boxing and grind a Unanimous Decision victory.
Prediction: Kamaru Usman
Ross Markey: For one reason or another, Kamaru Usman continuously fails to earn the plaudits he clearly deserves. He’s looking majorly unfazed since assuming the welterweight throne back in March of 2019 — knocking back foes, Colby Covington in an instant classic, as well as taking a one-sided decision win over the then-white hot Jorge Masvidal. While on paper it certainly appears Gilbert Burns will provide his sternest challenge to date — I haven’t seen anything so far from Usman which suggests he’ll be dethroned, however, those words could come back to bite me with Burns involved tonight. The Brazilian would conceivably fair well utilising a pressure-fighting and clinch-heavy approach of his own against Usman, although turning those tables on the recent Trevor Wittman mover is not going to prove an easy feat. Usman simply doesn’t make mistakes, well any that allow his opposition to capitalize on to great affect and possibly sway the direction of the fight away from the fence or the bottom where the vast majority of those opponents find themselves. Usman to remain king of the welterweights via a decision shutout.
Prediction: Kamaru Usman
Who do you think will win at UFC 258? Kamaru Usman or Gilbert Burns?
UFC 258 features a crucial welterweight championship bout as Kamaru Usman takes on former teammate Gilbert Burns in the main event from the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas…
UFC 258 features a crucial welterweight championship bout as Kamaru Usman takes on former teammate Gilbert Burns in the main event from the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas…
Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman are both aware that Burns can submit Usman at UFC 258, but only one of them believes this information is relevant. Gilbert Burns is a world champion and second-degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. As such, …
Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman are both aware that Burns can submit Usman at UFC 258, but only one of them believes this information is relevant. Gilbert Burns is a world champion and second-degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. As such, there is no question that he can submit any man that he competes against […]
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley made one of his first media appearances today in months on “The Mystic Hour.” With UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns right around the corner, Woodley, having gone 50 minutes with the two gave his thoughts on the match-up among his return. Woodley, in his recent welterweight stint, has undergone […]
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley made one of his first media appearances today in months on “The Mystic Hour.” With UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns right around the corner, Woodley, having gone 50 minutes with the two gave his thoughts on the match-up among his return.
Woodley, in his recent welterweight stint, has undergone a string of losses dating back to March 2019 where he lost his belt to Kamaru Usman. More than a year later, he would lose to rising prospect Gilbert Burns and then to outspoken rival, Colby Covington.
4 months later, Woodley reflects on his “learning streak” to the best in the world.
“I trained so hard, I was ready.” Woodley told MMA Island. “In my mind, my toughest and most difficult opponents were guys who I had already fought… and to lose to the last 3 guys I took those lessons to. You only lose if you don’t learn and grow from it. I feel like I’ve learned, grown from my last couple of fights.”
“The Chosen One’s” last couple of fights (excluding Covington) had him going 10 rounds back-to-back with this weekend’s Pay-Per-View headliner at UFC 258. It’s safe to say nobody has quite the insight that Woodley has on the Usman vs Burns fight.
“You know what’s funny?” Woodley chuckled. “I think if Usman loses, he will get a rematch.”
“[The UFC is] trying their hardest to push him. No disrespect to Usman, he’s a good guy. You can spend so much money trying to force a star on us and it ain’t happening. Right now I feel like it’s being forced.”
“That’s when Ronda [Rousey] lost, that’s when Paige [VanZant] lost, that’s when Sage [Northcutt] lost. That’s when Nate Diaz beat Conor McGregor. That feeling feels very familiar to me.”
Deja Vu flooded Woodley’s mind of past upsets and he predicts the duel of former teammates will end with Gilbert Burns on top.
“Gilbert is tough. He’s a better Grappler. He’s a harder puncher. I don’t think Usman was winning the ground wars against Gilbert in the practice room. When you got a guy who knows that, he can strike a little bit more efficiently because even if you take him down you know he got a leg lock game. If you take him down, you take his back, armbar, rear-naked choke, he’s very high level. Usman has to think about that at all times. I think Gilbert is going to come after him hard. He got this chance to be a champion. I think it’s a good fight.
Although Woodley’s verdict is that Burns will wear the crown of undisputed champion, he has praise for the man who took that title away from him.
“Usman is very consistent, especially with making changes. He’ll go for a strike in and you know in the Colby [Covington] he didn’t have to go away from the straight punches. He had to go for a shot. In other fights like against Leon Edwards, he had to go for a shot to actually settle up to be successful in striking which took him back to the shot. Before you knew it, the time expired and Leon ran out of time trying to win the fight. If I had to say Usman was great in anything, he’s great at that.”
Do you agree with Tyron Woodley? Will Gilbert Burns beat Kamaru Usman at UFC 258?
Finally expected to challenge for UFC welterweight gold for the first time in his career, streaking Brazilian all-rounder, Gilbert Burns has boldly claimed that he is capable of submitting former Sanford MMA teammate, Kamaru Usman anywhere, or anytime during their UFC 258 headliner this weekend. Drawing the undisputed titleholder at the third time of asking, […]
Finally expected to challenge for UFC welterweight gold for the first time in his career, streaking Brazilian all-rounder, Gilbert Burns has boldly claimed that he is capable of submitting former Sanford MMA teammate, Kamaru Usman anywhere, or anytime during their UFC 258 headliner this weekend.
Drawing the undisputed titleholder at the third time of asking, Burns was initially slated to challenge for championship spoils at UFC 251 on ‘Fight Island’ in July last, until a positive COVID-19 test forced him from the clash. Usman would go on to defeat short-notice replacement, Jorge Masvidal in a relatively comfortable unanimous decision victory.
Earmarked for a possible UFC 256 clash in December, Usman revealed to promotional brass that he was still dealing with some injuries after receiving stem cell treatment the month prior, and would require more time to recover and recuperate.
Training partners at Sanford MMA in Florida under the renowned, Henri Hooft, Burns and Usman have both spoken on their time under the same banner, with the latter recently relocating to Colorado — drawing tutelage from another esteemed head coach, Trevor Wittman.
Much has been made of the familiarity shared by both welterweights ahead of their championship matchup at the UFC Apex facility in ‘Sin City’, and Burns believes he’s got the ability to finish Usman with a submission no matter where the fight goes, or how long it takes place.
“I know I can submit him (Kamaru Usman) anywhere, anytime,” Burns said during a media day ahead of Saturday’s main event. “In the bottom, on the top, on the cage — anywhere. He knows I can submit him, he might watch out for this because he knows. Like he said, ‘Oh people know who’s gonna win’, yeah they know — he knows, he knows too.“
A decorated 2nd. degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under ‘Fofitio’ Barros, Burns is a four-time gold medalist across four both gi and no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world championships.
Utilising his grappling and wrestling to nullify Tyron Woodley on his way to the number one contender rank back at UFC Vegas in May, Burns has managed eight submission stoppages in his professional mixed martial arts career.
A proficient striker with heavy-hands to boot, the Niteroi native has found submission wins over the likes of Christos Giagos, Alex Oliveira, and Mike Davis during his promotional stint.
From eighteen professional outings, Usman holds a 17-1 record, with his sole career defeat coming by way of rear-naked choke back in his second professional walk.
Check out the LowKickMMA staff predictions ahead of the UFC 258 main event between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. Jordan Ellis: I really have found it hard picking a winner from the UFC 258 main event. Ultimately, I’m backing Kamaru Usman to retain his title for a few reasons. Firstly, he is one […]
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley made one of his first media appearances today in months on “The Mystic Hour.” With UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns right around the corner, Woodley, having gone 50 minutes with the two gave his thoughts on the match-up among his return. Woodley, in his recent welterweight stint, has undergone […]
Finally expected to challenge for UFC welterweight gold for the first time in his career, streaking Brazilian all-rounder, Gilbert Burns has boldly claimed that he is capable of submitting former Sanford MMA teammate, Kamaru Usman anywhere, or anytime during their UFC 258 headliner this weekend. Drawing the undisputed titleholder at the third time of asking, […]