Tyron Woodley makes his prediction for Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns at UFC 258

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has made his prediction for the upcoming fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

Usman, the UFC welterweight champion, is slated to defend his title against Burns in the main event of UFC 258 this weekend. The bout is plenty alluring on paper, but has amplified appeal given that Usman and Burns spent many years training together at Sanford MMA and are therefore very familiar with one another.

Woodley has fought both men. He met Usman in March of 2019, losing a unanimous decision and surrendering the UFC welterweight title as a result. He met Burns in his next fight thereafter, once again losing a unanimous decision and failing to rebound from his loss to Usman.

Having spent five rounds in the cage with both Usman and Burns, Woodley is well positioned to analyze the pair’s imminent fight at UFC 258.

He made his prediction for the matchup in an interview with MMA Island.

“Gilbert is tough,” Woodley said. “He’s a better grappler. He’s a harder puncher. I don’t think Usman was winning the ground wars against Gilbert in the practice room. When you got a guy who knows that, he can strike a little bit more efficiently because even if you take him down, you know he got a leg lock game. If you take him down, he’ll take your back, armbar, rear-naked choke… he’s very high-level.

“Usman has to think about that at all times,” Woodley added. “I think Gilbert is going to come after him hard with everything he’s got. This is his chance to be a champion.”

At present, Kamaru Usman is a noteworthy betting favorite to defeat Gilbert Burns at UFC 258, but Tyron Woodley is certainly not alone in his prediction that Burns will end up springing the upset.

See who other pros are picking for the fight here.

What do you think of Woodley’s prediction?