Gilbert Burns is set to fight his former teammate and friend, Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 258.
Burns and Usman have been training with one another for years so the Brazilian knows they know each other well. They also have similar styles as they are grapplers at heart who have gotten better in the striking realm.
“He was always a good round, a good look for me in sparring. Every time that I go to the sparring session and I need a good look, Kamaru was a good look for me always and I was the same for him,” Burns said to MMAFighting. “We have a couple wars, all in Florida, Blackzilians, Combat Club, Hard Knocks, Sanford, and he’s a very good one. I beat him up a couple times, he beat me up a couple times. We wrestle, we grapple, we have so many hours training together.”
Entering this fight, many view it as a very intriguing one because of the similarities they have. Burns understands that but says there is a big difference and that is the fact Burns is a finisher and he doesn’t think Usman is.
“That’s the difference between me and Kamaru,” Burns explained. “Kamaru looks first to domination. He wants to dominate you, put you in a bad spot, make you tired, wears you out and then beat you up. I’m different on that than Kamaru. I want to finish you, I want to beat you up, knock you out, submit you. If I cannot, if I think you’re going to stay there, then I think of domination. But first, I’m thinking of finishing. That’s what I’m looking for and I’m looking forward to being dangerous everywhere in that fight.”
UFC 258 goes down on February 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada with Kamaru Usman defending his title against Gilbert Burns.
