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Justin Gaethje takes beating from Kamaru Usman as the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ trains for UFC 251

  • Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has been sparring Justin Gaethje in Colorado training camp
  • ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ will headline the first card at Dana White’s ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi

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Justin Gaethje is taking a bit of a beating from his training partner Kamaru Usman. Photo: USA TODAY Sports
Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman looks more than ready for his upcoming welterweight title defence against Gilbert Burns, which is set to take place July 11 at UFC 251.
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Usman, 33, posted a training video of himself sparring with interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje under the watchful eye of coach Trevor Wittman. In the 15-second clip, Usman and Gaethje can be seen sparring and then start trading body shots blow for blow, which appear to get the best of Gaethje.

“Iron sharpens iron,” said Usman in the description of the Instagram post. “How much would you pay to watch this for a few rounds? Just two dudes having fun.”

Usman last defended his title in December at UFC 245 against Colby Covington, where he won the fight via TKO in the fifth round. He previously won the welterweight championship (170 pounds) by beating Tryon Woodley at UFC 235 in March of last year.

 
Gaethje, who shocked the MMA world when he beat Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in May, is now set to take on Khabib Nurmagomedov in September to unify the lightweight title.
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