With his stoppage of Gilbert Burns at UFC 258, Kamaru Usman has successfully defended his title for the third time, and remains unbeaten since his second professional bout — a fight that dates back eight years ago. I’ve written a lot about Usman, especially in the context of a division that seems to breed the best champions, but today we’re not interested in how many, but how.
Usman remains an interesting mix of blue collar pugilism, technical acumen, and grit wizardry. Burns represented an interesting contrast: one Phil and I felt represented more ‘interest’ than ‘obstacle.