The Nigerian Nightmare, Kamaru Usman successfully defended his UFC Welterweight title after a third round technical knockout of his former sparring partner and teammate, Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 which was held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Usman has held the title since he first won it at UFC 235 in March 2019 when he defeated Tyron Woodley, and he has successfully defended the title on three occasions since then.
Usman, whose last fight ended with a unanimous decision victory in July 2020 at UFC 251 against Jorge Masvidal came into the fight against the in form Brazilian, Burns who had six wins in a row, including a defeat in May 2020 of Tyron Woodley.
The fight started with Burns dominating the first round as he landed two strong right hands on Usman, hurting him several times while he struggled to cope.
Usman woke up in the second round and made use of his jabs to great effect as he dropped Burns twice in the round.
He used his agility to good effect, running rings round Burns, and switching stances at ease to throw Burns off balance.
The third round proved to be a short one, as it was barely 34 seconds in that Usman landed a right handed jab on Burns’ face which knocked him down, allowing Usman to take proper advantage and pummel him on the ground, switching from his right handed style to southpaw and delivering several blows to the head of Burns, before referee Herb Dean separated both men and declared Usman the winner by virtue of a technical knockout.
After the referee stopped the fight, the octagon was very emotional as Burns, whose face and head was bloodied stayed crouched on the floor, crying while Usman sat at a distance looking at his former teammate.
Burns had waited 6 years for a championship shot only to lose to his former sparring partner. Both men shared an emotional embrace after the fight as Usman said he felt bad that he had to be the one to stop Burns in the octagon.
The 33 year old Usman and Burns were teammates from 2012 with the Blackzilians, then with Sanford MMA before Usman moved to Colorado last year to prepare for his fight with Burns which was initially scheduled for July 2020 before Burns tested positive for COVID-19, causing the fight to be called off until now.
The Nigerian Nightmare has now won 13 consecutive UFC fights as he remains without a defeat in the UFC. His win on Sunday meant that he surpassed UFC legend, Georges St. Pierre for the most consecutive UFC wins in history to sit in joint second with 6 others, only behind Anderson Silva who won 16 consecutive fights between 2006 and 2012.
Usman called out Jorge Masvidal after his fight, challenging him to a rematch as he remains unsatisfied with their last fight. Usman defeated Masvidal in July, but Masvidal had only 6 days to prepare for the match.
UFC boss, Dana White has said that the rematch was a possibility if both camps could reach an agreement.
Fans are betting on MMA and UFC to give Usman the respect he has earned by one day inducting him into the hall of fame after he demanded for respect from everyone in the industry following his win.