UFC: Gilbert Burns admits it is ‘weird’ calling out welterweight champion and teammate Kamaru Usman
- Burns says he is only asking for Usman because he has the title belt – ‘I like the guy a lot’
- The Brazilian leapfrogs the division after impressive win over former champion Woodley
New UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns says it will be “weird” gunning for a title shot against division champion and sparring partner Kamaru Usman.
“I don’t know, it’s gonna be weird,” said Burns at the post-fight press conference. UFC president Dana White had said the 33-year-old Brazilian had broken “into the top five”.
“The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman, who won the belt off Woodley in a similarly dominant unanimous decision win in 2019, spent time helping Burns ahead of his fight this weekend. He tweeted, “What a great performance by my man Gilbert Burns #UFCVegas” after the fight.
“We’re both professionals and I like that guy a lot. He motivated me a lot when he became champion. He had zero and we always liked to work together because I had the jiu jitsu and he had the wrestling – we grappled a lot since the beginning,” Burns said.