The Nigerian Nightmare, Kamaru Usman will hope to make history in the early hours of Sunday when he goes into the octagon to compete against professional mixed martial artist Gilbert Burns in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), at the UFC APEX Center in Las Vegas, USA.
The fight, which will begin on Saturday and roll into the early hours of Sunday, for the European and West African fans of the sport, will see one of UFC 2019’s best fighters currently ranked #1 and Black belt ranker in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Kamaru, take on three-time World Champion, UFC ranked #3 and World Cup gold medalist, Burns, in a fight that is expected to produce fireworks.
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Usman, ranked number 5 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound ranking has recorded 17 victories, 7 by knockouts, 1 by submission, and 9 by decision with just one loss.
The Nigerian will be defending his title for the third time.
His opponent, Burns, popularly known as Durinho has won 19 matches. 8 were by submission, 6 knockouts, 5 by decision, and lost three.
Being the first-ever Nigerian-born champion in UFC history, the Ultimate Fighter 21 tournament winner, has a long line of accomplishments in the NCAA where he won the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship (174 lbs, in 2010) and secured a triple year win in the NCAA Division II Wrestling All-American (174 lbs) from 2008 to 2010.
The 33-year old Usman has successfully defended his title twice, shares the record for 12 wins, the most consecutive wins in the welterweight division, and should he win this fight, it will be the longest ever winning streak in the welterweight division.
