UFC 258 - Usman vs Burns: Fight preview, breakdown, predictions, and more

By Lourence Alturino

Image from UFC

The king at 170, Kamaru Usman will defend his UFC welterweight championship against one of the best in the division, Gilbert Burns. The big story surrounding this title bout is these two men are former teammates. These two know each very well. That is what makes this fight super interesting.

King Kamaru Usman

"The Nigerian Nightmare" is one of the baddest men on the planet coming in with a record of 17-1 (16 straight wins, 7 knockouts, and 1 submission). If you have watched his fights, you know that he is going to take you down, have you in the clinch, and just destroy you at those levels. Usman has an insane gas tank, which enables him to dominate you for 5 whole rounds. He isn't known for his striking, but he has the ability to slug it out and we have seen that against Colby Covington. Kamaru uses his striking to transition into his amazing grappling. A big strength he has is his very powerful right hand. Will he able to use it in succession against his opponent?

Gilbert "Durinho" Burns

The number one contender is coming in with a record of 19-3 (6 straight, 6 knockouts, and 8 submissions). As you can see with the amount of submission victories Burns has, he is very good at grappling. Burns is a high level black belt in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu). Gilbert is definitely a better striker and finisher than his former teammate. Unlike his opponent, Burns wants to knock you out cold. Will he knock Usman out?

Keys for Kamaru

- Try use striking early to make sure Burns isn't so aggressive and wild as he usually he is.

- Kick Burns everywhere and mainly to the legs because of Burns' primarily boxing stance.

- Slow Burns down as much as possible.

Keys for Gilbert

- Let Usman grapple you to look for submissions, which would make Usman work more.

- If Usman doesn't shoot early, then you shoot. Usman has always been the aggressor in takedowns, not the other way around. Out-grapple him.

- Let your hands go and pressure Usman.

Final Predictions

This fight is too close to call. Both of their strengths and weaknesses align against one another. Saturday's main event should definitely be another welterweight championship war. My final prediction is for Kamaru Usman to retain his title and win in a split decision. I believe this fight is going to be real close and it will leave the judges to make a very tough choice. Usman's experience will be the factor in defeating Gilbert Burns at UFC 258.