There is no antecedent for Gilbert Burns, at least not on Kamaru Usman's record.
Not Demian Maia, who shares Burns' world-championship jiu-jitsu pedigree. Not Jorge Masvidal, an elite standup fighter. And not Colby Covington, who for better or worse has some of the best wrestling in the UFC.
When Usman (17-1) defends his welterweight title Saturday against Burns (19-3) in the main event of UFC 258, it will be his 13th UFC contest (all wins, by the way). When I spoke to Usman earlier this week, he told me that none of his other opponents have ever presented the same kind of problem as Burns.