One might think fighting a former teammate of eight years could be problematic in a title fight, but reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has no problem defending his title against ex-Sanford MMA sparring partner Gilbert Burns at UFC 258.
Despite having sparred over 200 rounds with Burns, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ says he will see ‘no face’ on his opponent when the cage door closes on Feb. 13 and that it will be an entirely impersonal affair.
“I will say it’s definitely different because you’ve felt them. You know the areas where you kind of had the upper hand and they know that as well,” Usman, who left Sanford MMA to train with veteran coach Trevor Wittman in late 2020, told MMA Fighting in a recent interview.