UFC Welterweight Champion, Kamaru Usman has successfully defended his title for the fourth time, knocking out Gilbert Burns in the third round.
The 33-year-old Nigerian, therefore, sealed his place as the undisputed king of UFC 258 at the UFC Apex, a facility across from the UFC’s Las Vegas corporate campus on Saturday night.
Usman was dominant for most of the encounter, landing pin-point blows and beautiful jabs that disoriented his former teammate.
Burns put up a decent performance in the first round, hitting his rival with two huge right hands early on.
However, the champion took over soon after with jabs that helped to check his challenger’s power and explosiveness.
Usman dropped Burns twice in the second round, the second coming via a jab.
The third round was no different as the champion again dropped Burns with a right hand, before following with a flurry of blows that knocked the wind out of the 34-year-old’s sails.
Burns was tearful as he hugged his former teammate after the encounter.
The duo had been teammates since 2012, first with the Blackzilians and most recently with Sanford MMA, both of Southern Florida.
Usman (18-1) has been champion since beating Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in March 2019, and last defended his title against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 last July.
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