Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns were full of emotion as they embraced in the middle of the Octagon. Burns shed blood and tears over his face. Some of their corner men behind them fought back from crying.
Usman stops Burns, his former teammate, via TKO at 34 seconds of the third round to defend his UFC welterweight title in the UFC 258 main event in Las Vegas.
Usman landed a right hand as he changed from Burns to the floor, then beat Burns to the ground with blows until referee Herb Dean pulled him down.
“Gilbert is a man I knew from the beginning,” Usman said in his post-fight interview. “I love him. This one was hard for me to handle.”
With the win, Usman achieves his 13th consecutive victory, surpassing legend Georges St-Pierre for the consecutive victories in UFC welterweight history.
Usman and Burns have been teammates in South Florida since 2012, first with the Blackzilians and most recently with Sanford MMA. Usman left for Colorado last year to train under coach Trevor Wittman after the initial fight with Burns was planned for July. But Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew from the fight. Henri Hooft, the longtime head coach for both Usman and Burns, did not choose either of the two men and said he would not even see the fight.
“Guys, you can not discredit what Gilbert Burns did in this section,” Usman said. “We started together. We started this journey together, and he showed it tonight. He went in there and put it all together.”
The consequences had major implications beyond the personal story. When ESPN came in, Usman reached number 5 on the world rankings on his MMA rankings for pounds. In the welterweight division, ESPN ranked Usman at No. 1 and Burns at No. 5.
Burns shook Usman twice early with large right hand. But Usman hangs through a turbulent first round. He increases in second position, works a beautiful stitch and stimulates Burns’ power and explosiveness. The strike of Usman looked better than ever before, as he changed position and landed with force from everyone.
In the second round, Usman Burns dropped twice, the second time with a stab. In the third, it was a right hand that looked like a jab that Burns put on his butt before Usman hit the ground and finished.
Usman outscored Burns 83-45 in significant strikes, according to UFC statistics.
“I’m the best on the planet for a reason,” Usman said in his post-battle interview. “All of you, you better respect my name … I’m here to stay.”
UFC 258 was held using COVID-19 protocols at the UFC Apex, a facility across the UFC’s corporate campus in Las Vegas. It was the promotion’s first local pay-per-view card of the year.
Usman (18-1) has been champion since beating Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in March 2019. He has three successful title defenses. The native Nigeria, who grew up in Texas, has never lost in the UFC.
Usman, 33, scored a unanimous victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 last year. After that, Usman called out Masvidal, who took notice of the fight on six days. Usman said “it’s not done” with Masvidal.
“He keeps running his mouth,” Usman said. “If he’s going to talk, step in here and see me.”
Burns (19-4) won six in a row, the last a unanimous victory over Woodley last May. The Brazilian has been 4-1 since joining in 2019 to welterweight of lightweight.
Burns, 34, is a multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion with power in his hands. He tried to become the first Brazilian to win the UFC welterweight title.
“I’m the varsity guy,” Usman said. “My fighting IQ is different. It’s different when you’re in the gym with me. But when you get in here, it’s a different ball game. I’m a whole ‘cruelty’.”