UFC 251: “The Nigerian Nightmare” vs “Durinho”

UFC 251: Kamaru Usman set to face off against Gilbert Burns on Fight Island

On the 12th of July, the UFC heads to Abu Dhabi for their first event on Yas Island, or as MMA fans like to call it, “Fight Island.”

From top to bottom, the card is stacked, with such a plethora of highly skilled athletes aiming to achieve greatness. UFC president Dana White has worked his magic and blessed the MMA faithful with a mouth-watering, spine-tingling card.

Three title fights will take place on July 12th. The first, a bantamweight clash between rising star Petr Yan and the great Jose Aldo. The co-main event sees Hawaii’s finest Max Holloway seeking revenge after losing his title to Alexander Volkanovski.

If that doesn’t grab your attention, then wait for the main event.

The stacked card will be headlined by none other than Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

Kamaru Usman

Born: Auchi, Nigeria

Record: 16 – 1

Last Fight: W – Colby Covington (UFC 245)

Fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, USA, but born in Nigeria, Kamaru Usman became the first UFC African champion when he defeated Tyron Woodley at UFC 235. “The Nigerian Nightmare” is on a 15 fight winning streak. His last loss came in his second professional MMA fight, back in 2013.

Kamaru has been competing in the UFC since 2015 and has beaten the likes of Leon Edwards, Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos, Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington.

We last saw Usman at UFC 245 when he defeated Colby “Chaos” Covington via a fifth-round TKO.

A black belt in BJJ, Kamaru Usman is a highly skilled wrestler and is a real problem on the floor. Many questioned his striking. However, he managed to silent those doubters with a vicious TKO victory over Covington, proving that he has some power in those hands. Usman is a real problem on the mat but has also shown he has some striking ability.

At 33, Usman is looking to keep hold of the welterweight title for a long time and establish himself as one of the greats to fight at 170.

With a record of 19:3 and fighting out of Lantana, USA, Brazilian born Gilbert Burns has been a breath of fresh air for the welterweight division.

Gilbert Burns

Born: Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Record: 19 – 3

Last Fight: W – Tyron Woodley (UFC on ESPN 9)

Formerly a lightweight, Burns was struggling to find a path to the 155-pound title. Defeat to Dan Hooker meant that something had to change. After a couple more stints at lightweight, in 2019, Burns took a fight at welterweight, on short notice, against Alexey Kunchenko.

Burns defeated Alexey via a decision, so the Brazilian decided to stick around. With wins over Gunnar Nelson and Demian Maia, Burns was rewarded with a fight against the former welterweight king, Tyron Woodley.

In a dominant performance, Burns won via a unanimous decision Burns earned his seat amongst the best at welterweight. Immediately, Gilbert called out his teammate, Kamaru Usman and here we are.

An elite BJJ expert, Burns has proved that he’s not only great on the floor but is also a knockout artist. A well-rounded fighter, Gilbert “Durinho” Burns is a real problem for the welterweight division and is looking to shock the world on July 12th.

With just ten days to go, UFC 251 has all the ingredients to go down as one of the best cards in 2020. Don’t be surprised if we see a few upsets.

We hope you enjoyed the article ‘UFC 251: “The Nigerian Nightmare” vs “Durinho.” What are your predictions for UFC 251? Let us know!

Read more on UFC below:

• Top 5 Upcoming UFC Middleweights
• Who Will Conor McGregor Face Next?
• Top 5 Upcoming UFC Featherweights