The winner of the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 264 might not get a shot at UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, that matchup seems to be reserved for Colby Covington. But that doesn’t mean the scrap between Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson isn’t an important one.
Burns, who is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC 170-pound rankings, is coming off a February TKO loss to Usman. Before the loss to his former training partner, the 34-year-old Burns was on a six-fight winning streak.
Thompson, who fought former welterweight kingpin Tyron Woodley twice during Woodley’s reign, has decision wins in his past two scraps.