Kamaru Usman sends Gilbert Burns a heartfelt message following fight at UFC 258

Kamaru Usman has sent a heartfelt message to Gilbert Burns following their thrilling welterweight title fight.

Usman, the UFC welterweight champion, met Burns, the division’s No. 1 contender, in the main event of UFC 258 on Saturday night. Usman defended his title with a third-round TKO victory, but dealt with some definite adversity in the matchup, as he was dropped early in the first round.

The real drama of Usman and Burns’ fight, of course, is that they’re long-time friends and former training partners. While the pair kept things civil in the lead-up to their fight, fans were enthralled by the pair’s familiarity with one another and how that might affect the matchup.

After beating Burns by TKO, Usman was quick to praise his long-time training partner.

You deserved to be in there with me. You’re the next best in the division 🙏🏿🙏🏿 @gilbert_burns pic.twitter.com/gLT3lTEv0I

— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) February 14, 2021

“You deserved to be in there with me,” Usman wrote on Twitter after the fight. “You’re the next best in the division.”

Usman also had warm words for his former training parter at the UFC 258 post-fight press conference, but emphasized that, when he’s inside the cage with a fighter hoping to take his title, friendship is irrelevant.

“When you step into my cage, we have to go to work,” Usman said. “There was no friends in there. No friends at all. I am the best on the planet for a reason. You need to put some respect on my f**king name.”

With his victory over Gilbert Burns, Kamaru Usman is now on a thirteen fight unbeaten streak. Prior to beating Burns, he picked a decision victory over Jorge Masvidal. That win was preceded by a fifth-round TKO win over Colby Covington and a title-winning decision defeat of Tyron Woodley. Usman now holds wins over six fighters in the UFC welterweight top-10, and is undoubtedly one of the sport’s greatest welterweights ever.

What do you think of the classy message he sent Gilbert Burns post-fight?