What’s next for Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns after UFC 258?

In the main event of UFC 258, Kamaru Usman was looking to defend his welterweight title as he took on Gilbert Burns.

Usman was looking to surpass Georges St-Pierre for the most consecutive wins at welterweight at 13. Burns, meanwhile, was looking to become the first UFC welterweight champion from Brazil. Ultimately, it was the champ who got it done as he scored a third-round TKO to defend his belt for the third time.

Now, following UFC 258, here is what I think should be next for Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.

Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman is slowly becoming a dominant champion and is running out of options.

After Usman TKO’d Burns, the champ called for a rematch with Jorge Masvidal as he wants to finish him this time around. The fight does make sense as it is a massive fight and they could also serve as the coaches of TUF.

However, if the UFC does end up booking Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington as Dana White suggested, the winner of that no doubt deserves a rematch with Usman. Yet, the fight is not booked, so as of right now, the likely scenario is Usman vs. Masvidal 2 sometime in the summer after they coach the newest season of TUF.

Gilbert Burns

Gilbert Burns was very close to becoming the new champion.

In the opening moments of the fight, Burns landed a hard shot that dropped Usman and then blitzed him with some heavy punches. However, the Brazilian admitted he got too excited and gassed himself out. In the second round, Usman started to take over and started to rock Burns, and then to begin the third, he dropped him and finished him.

Burns does have plenty of options for his next fight but will likely have to see how the welterweight division shakes out. If Usman-Masvidal and Edwards-Covington get booked, fighting Stephen Thompson makes a ton of sense. The winner would then get a No. 1 contender bout and try and earn their way back to a title shot.

What do you think should be next for Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns after UFC 258?