Verbal agreements have been reported for a highly anticipated welterweight championship fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. While Burns may not currently have the mainstream name recognition of Jorge Masvidal, he does pose the most real threat to the reigning champ. What does Usman vs Burns have in store for UFC fans?
The Champ Is Here
“The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman has been absolutely dominant in the UFC, and MMA in general, posting a 17-1 record. That loss came in his second professional fight, as he is 16-0 since. He is not a finishing specialist, but rather a world class wrestler who uses his physicality to out-point his opponents and control heavy portions of his fights against the cage. When I say he uses his physicality, there is no overstating this man’s strength and leveraging skill. Once he gets an opponent on the cage, they consistently struggle to leave.
While this style has allowed Usman to be dominant in his current run, it does admittedly lead to some slower fights. We have seen, however, that when Usman respects his opponents ground game, he is willing to stand and trade strikes. He is not the most gifted striker at 170 pounds, but he is polished enough to be dangerous. The recent move to work with heralded striking coach Trevor Wittman will only serve to make this excellent wrestler even more dangerous on his feet. Training at altitude and having a guru like Wittman in his corner makes Usman one of the more interesting champs heading into the 2021 fight schedule. It also makes Usman vs Burns the most interesting title fight announced thus far in 2021.
The Little Tough One
On the other side of this fight sits “Durinho”, Gilbert Burns. A world champion BJJ practitioner in both Gi and No-Gi, this man has world class submission ability. He is among the best practitioners of BJJ in the UFC, but he is more than capable on his feet as well. Burns is 12-3 inside the UFC, but all three of those losses came at 155 pounds. He remains undefeated at 170 pounds, where he looks like the best version of himself. When you watch Burns fight today, you cannot help but wonder how he ever made the 156 limit at lightweight.
Burns exerts excellent octagon control, similar to Usman. He is confident in his abilities on the ground and that allows him to fight with a very aggressive style. Like all elite BJJ practitioners, Burns is comfortable grappling off his back. Training out of highly regarded Sanford MMA, Burns is a former teammate of Usman. They will have trained together plenty and are very familiar with each other, adding some additional intrigue to the matchup. “Durinho” is a poster child for fighting at a comfortable weight, as his progression since moving up has been fascinating. Fans can expect to see the best version of Burns when they close the octagon door in February.
It’s a Valentine’s Day Present
This fight is the most exciting fight the UFC could have made at 170 pounds, and one they had already tried to make before Burns had to back out due to Covid-19, being replaced by Jorge Masvidal on late notice. While Masvidal is an impressive fighter, I believe Burns offers the bigger threat for the current champion. Usman will respect the BJJ of Burns, and that mutual grappling respect could lead to a similar fight stylistically to the classic we got between Usman and Covington. Check out some of these highlights. Usman won that fight unanimously, but I do believe Burns is a more polished striker than Covington. The burning question of this fight will be how the time spent with the coach Trevor Wittman has shaped Usman’s striking abilities. Very few fights in 2021 will have the same type of question marks as this title fight. Usman vs Burns cannot come soon enough.
