Kamaru Usman will be defending his welterweight title for the second time since winning it last year, as he’s on a collision course with rising star Gilbert Burns. The challenger has been riding high on a pair of victories this year, but will he be able to sustain his form against the champion? Read on for more about this welterweight title fight.
Usman could be forgiven if he says he can’t remember the last time he lost. He’s defeated all his last 15 opponents, including Tyron Woodley in March 2019 to capture the welterweight title. Usman was put to work in his first title defense by Colby Covington but eventually scored a TKO win in the fifth round of their showdown last December. Usman is a capable fighter both on his feet and on the ground. That great blend of skills makes it hard for opponents to find any weaknesses in his game to exploit. Among all active welterweights in the UFC, he’s got the longest control time (1:36:29) and the best control time percentage (52.6%). He’s also an elite and accurate striker, as he’s both top five in the division in significant strikes landed (843) and significant strike accuracy (52.9%). Burns wouldn’t find it easy trying to send Usman to the mat, as the champion has never been taken down in 10 fights in the UFC.
Perhaps not many people know that Burns used to train together with Usman with Sanford MMA down in Florida. In other words, he’s familiar with Usman and could have some important insights to help him break the champion’s armor. Burns must have also learned a thing or two about solving Usman from the latter’s hard-fought battle with Covington, who gave the champ a run for his money. Covington outstruck Usman in three of the five rounds. Burns is also on an unbeaten streak, with six wins over his last six fights. He last fought in May, when he scored a unanimous decision against former champion Tyron Woodley. Before that, he won via TKO last March against veteran Demian Maia. It’s been that kind of year for Burns, whose momentum is on a high headed into the event in Fight Island. Burns is a highly skilled technician, with eight submission wins to go with six knockout victories.
