Tag: UFC 258

Jimmie Rivera vs. Pedro Munhoz Off UFC 258 Card, To Be Rescheduled

RiveraThe UFC 258 pay-per-view event has taken a big hit as Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz will no longer be competing. An intriguing ranked bantamweight matchup between the pair was set to take place on the main card of the event taking place Saturday night in Las Vegas. However, that won’t be the case anymore […]

Rivera

The UFC 258 pay-per-view event has taken a big hit as Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz will no longer be competing.

An intriguing ranked bantamweight matchup between the pair was set to take place on the main card of the event taking place Saturday night in Las Vegas.

However, that won’t be the case anymore according to reports as a positive COVID-19 test ultimately forced the promotion to pull the bout. There’s no word on which competitor received the positive test as of yet.

MMA Fighting reports that the plan is to reschedule it for UFC Vegas 20 which takes place February 27 though no deal is finalized as of yet. That event is notably headlined by a heavyweight encounter between ranked fighters Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane.

Rivera is coming off a unanimous decision win over Cody Stamann in July. That snapped a two-fight losing streak for the 31-year-old who suffered back-to-back unanimous decision defeats to Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan.

Munhoz, meanwhile, is on a two-fight losing streak. The Brazilian also suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Sterling which followed a split decision defeat to Frankie Edgar in August.

The pair actually competed in November 2015 in a fight that saw Rivera earn the split decision win on that occasion.

Who do you think takes the rematch?

Kamaru Usman to Gilbert Burns: “I Showed You The Game”

As far as Kamaru Usman is concerned, he will not be staring across the cage at a former teammate at UFC 258 but rather a common foe. By now, it is well known that Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns were training partners for multiple years and developed a …

As far as Kamaru Usman is concerned, he will not be staring across the cage at a former teammate at UFC 258 but rather a common foe. By now, it is well known that Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns were training partners for multiple years and developed a strong bond through training sessions inside the […]

Stephen Thompson: Gilbert Burns Is Kamaru Usman’s Toughest Matchup Yet

Burns UsmanStephen Thompson believes Gilbert Burns will be Kamaru Usman’s toughest fight yet. Burns is set to finally collide with Usman for the welterweight title when they headline the upcoming UFC 258 pay-per-view event taking place February 13 in Las Vegas. It will be a clash of former teammates as well but even casting that aside, […]

Burns Usman

Stephen Thompson believes Gilbert Burns will be Kamaru Usman’s toughest fight yet.

Burns is set to finally collide with Usman for the welterweight title when they headline the upcoming UFC 258 pay-per-view event taking place February 13 in Las Vegas.

It will be a clash of former teammates as well but even casting that aside, Thompson believes Burns has all the tools to be Usman’s toughest matchup so far.

That said, he still believes Usman’s wrestling will play a role.

“I think this is going to be Kamaru Usman’s toughest fight for sure,” Thompson told the “Weighing In” podcast (via MMA Junkie). “I mean (Burns has) got the ground, he’s a high-level jiu-jitsu practitioner, he’s got good striking, he’s been knocking dudes out. So I think he’s the better well-rounded fighter he’s faced, even Colby Covington. But Usman, on top of that, he’s an intelligent fighter. He’s got pressure and cardio for days. He’s got a gas tank like no other, but I do believe he can outwrestle Burns.

“I think he could wrestle him and neutralize his jiu-jitsu. His top game is really, really good, especially up against the fence. If he can get him pinned up against the fence where he’s able to control his opponent’s hips, I think he’s got it. But the thing is, getting in there. Burns’ striking is fast. That dude’s explosive. He may not have the reach Kamaru does, but he’s explosive and you saw it against Tyron Woodley. He knocked him down, something I wasn’t able to do.”

Despite the praise for Burns — who has been on one heck of a run since moving up to welterweight from lightweight — Thompson ultimately sees Usman coming out on top to earn his third title defense.

“I believe Kamaru Usman could do it,” Thompson added. “I like Kamaru Usman, I think he’s a great champ. I think he holds the title very well. I’m going for Usman, man. I think Usman’s got it.”

Perhaps one more win could see “Wonderboy” himself get the next crack at the title.

Who do you have winning between Usman and Burns?

Gilbert Burns Makes Bold Prediction Ahead of UFC 258 Clash With Usman

Gilbert Burns’s confidence is in a right place heading into his UFC 258 clash against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Teammates will collide at UFC 258 when Kamaru Usman defends his UFC welterweight championship against Gilbert Burns in the main ev…

Gilbert Burns’s confidence is in a right place heading into his UFC 258 clash against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Teammates will collide at UFC 258 when Kamaru Usman defends his UFC welterweight championship against Gilbert Burns in the main event. The two have sparred countless times, over 200 times by Burns’s estimation, but the two […]

Uriah Hall vs. Chris Weidman Pushed Back from UFC 258 to UFC 261

UFC 258 has lost its co-main event after the rematch between Uriah Hall and Chris Weidman has been scrapped following a positive COVID test. ESPN has reported that following a positive COVID test for Chris Weidman, his bout against Uriah Hall originall…

UFC 258 has lost its co-main event after the rematch between Uriah Hall and Chris Weidman has been scrapped following a positive COVID test. ESPN has reported that following a positive COVID test for Chris Weidman, his bout against Uriah Hall originally slated for the UFC 258 card on February 13 and is being targeted […]

VIDEO | UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns – ‘Former Teammates Go To War’

UFC 258Check out the UFC 258 promotional video that has just dropped. The welterweight title match-up is just weeks away and it appears the UFC are keen to get fans hyped about the fight in which will see former teammates Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns duke it out. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has enjoyed a dominant reign […]

UFC 258

Check out the UFC 258 promotional video that has just dropped.

The welterweight title match-up is just weeks away and it appears the UFC are keen to get fans hyped about the fight in which will see former teammates Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns duke it out.

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has enjoyed a dominant reign at 170lb king since dethroning Tyron Woodley in 2019. Usman stopped Colby Covington in his first defence before making easy work of Jorge Masvidal last time out.

Burns burst onto the welterweight scene last year when he knocked out BJJ legend Demian Maia. He capitalized on that win by beating former champion Tyron Woodley over five rounds. It was only bad luck that stopped Burns from getting his well-earned title shot in 2020. The Brazilian tested positive for COVID-19 just days before he was supposed to compete for the belt at UFC 251.

UFC 258 Fight card

Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns

Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall

Maycee Barber vs. Alexa Grasso

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Ian Heinisch

Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera

Polyana Viana vs. Mallory Martin

Julian Marquez vs. Maki Pitolo

Gillian Robertson vs. Miranda Maverick

Who do you think will win at UFC 258? Kamaru Usman or Gilbert Burns?