BEVERLY HILLS, February 14, (THEWILL) – The undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Kamaru Usman demonstrated why he is rightly referred to as “The Nigerian Nightmare” and why he deserves to be accorded every respect he had earned in the sport and in his weight category with yesterday’s Technical Knockout performance.
After enduring a challenging first round, the UFC welterweight champion patiently picked his hits against a decade-long UFC teammate Gilbert Burns before violently putting him away in the third round of the UFC 258 main event from the Las Vegas UFC Apex.
It was a long-awaited bout that pitched the former teammates against each other and where the champion was forced to showcase his ability to be versatile against an opponent that knew him enough to know what to expect from him.
In the initial moments of the first round, Burns clearly established his seriousness about taking Usman’s belt. Coming off six straight wins before the Saturday night bout, Burns clipped Usman with a right hand and followed it with a head kick that clogged Usman, putting him on one knee. However, Usman levelled matters, collecting himself while he piston-jabbed Burns repeatedly to end the round.
Usman established yet again why he is one of the best fighters on the planet by adapting quickly in the second round, working behind the jab before putting an end to his opponent in the following round with a victory that extended his UFC win streak to 12 and marked the third defense of his welterweight crown.
He made it clear what he was about after the match when he said: “This is my cage. I’m the champion for a reason. When you step in here there are no friends.
“He said he wanted something of mine and he wanted to take. I had to do what I needed to do. I’m the best on the planet for a reason. Everyone else needs to put some respect on my f—ing name!”
Usman made it clear he saw a difficult first round coming: “I knew he hits hard. That’s a majority of how sparring went. He’s got so much power in those hands. Any other fighter goes to sleep in this division.”
As powerful as Burns was, which his victories coming into Saturday’s showdown testify to, it was Usman’s resistance and versatility that prevailed in the second round. The champion stepped in and continuously fired the jab before badly hurting Burns with a right hand. The eventual result came at one such moment, and Usman knew he had Burns burnt.
“I’m a whole ‘nother savage when you get in here with me,” he said.
The third round did not last more than 34 seconds as Usman came at Burns straightaway with a series of jabs that allowed him land a thudding shot which sent Burns to the canvas on his back. Usman proceeded to pepper him with a bevy of strikes that caused the fight to be called in Usman’s favour.
The brevity of the challenge put the expectations of many pundits to nought. Burns’s pedigree, previous wins, style of fights and closeness to Usman made him the most challenging contender yet to face the Nigerian Nightmare and he was seen as one fighter with the potential to go the distance against Usman and possibly upset him by seizing the crown.
It did not happen.
And now, the challenge will be to find another opponent willing and worthy to go up against Usman. The champion himself challenged a contender he previously defeated in July 2020 at UFC 251, Jorge Masvidal. Whether Jorge picks up the challenge or someone else does, they will find him ready.
“Any one of these fools can get it,” he said.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
