Kamaru Usman defended his welterweight title at the UFC 258, defeating his former training partner, Gilbert Burns via TKO in the third round. The referee in the octagon Herb Dean stepped in at 0:34 of the third to stop the bout, following Usman’s ground and pound attack.
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Burns (19-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) took this loss very emotionally, not being able to stop crying for quite some time in the ring, as he clearly suffered a big disappointment.
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The way the Brazilian started the battle indicated a completely different outcome. He would hit Kamaru (18-1 MMA, 13-0 UFC) with a massive right early on, which dropped the champion, but instead of going forward and finishing the job, Dunrinho, as the fans call him, was too hesitant.
That would allow Kamaru to regroup and get out of one very nasty situation, in which we haven’t seen him often. As time went by he would slowly normalize, and soon enough put Burns on the ground with a head kick, but didn’t finish the rival.
The second round saw the champion picking up the pace, and slowly turning the tide in his favor, hitting Burns with ferocious jabs, until he sent a strong right that dropped the rival on the canvas. Somehow, Burns survived by the end of the sequence, but it was obvious that Usman controls the show, switching to southpaw only to inflict more damage on his opponent’s face.
Burns was wobbling in the octagon, taking numerous hits, and in one moment tried to burst back, but without success.
As soon as the third round started, Kamaru began striking, before eventually dropping Burns on the ground, only this time, his punches forced Dean to waive off and save the Brazilian from experiencing more beating.
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This was the 13th straight win in the UFC for the Nigerian Nightmare, and the only one who has a better start in this organization is the legendary Anderson Silva. Usman once again proved that his massive stamina and incredibly strong chin are unprecedented in the organization, which is why many believe he really is the most dominant fighter in the UFC at the moment.
-->As for Burns, his title dreams are over, only due to his indecisiveness, early on. It is possible that the Brazilian didn’t expect to reach such a chance and didn’t know how to react once being in a position to attack the champ and finish him. But that is also one of the signs that he isn’t worthy of dethroning the Nigerian Nightmare.
