Gilbert Burns recalls "weird" encounter with teammate and next opponent Kamaru Usman

Gilbert Burns is on a roll. The Brazilian is on a 6-fight win streak, winning his last three since moving up to Welterweight. His last two wins have been the biggest of his career to date - finishing Demian Maia in the first round and just two months later, proceeding to beat former Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley in a one-sided fight.

Due to Jorge Masvidal not coming to terms with the UFC over payment, Gilbert Burns jumped up to #1 in the 170-pound rankings and is going to get a title shot against Kamaru Usman in the headliner of UFC 251.

Kamaru Usman also happens to be in the same gym as Gilbert Burns under the leadership of Henri Hooft. Due to the clash in interest, Usman will be training in Colorado with Trevor Wittman instead. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Gilbert Burns recalled meeting his upcoming opponent:

“On Monday, right after the UFC Las Vegas card that my brother fought at, I ran into him in the gym when I came back,” Burns said. “He stayed here that week and then went to Colorado to finish his camp. We spoke, and it was all good. He said, ‘Let’s fight, leave it all in the octagon, and then we’ll have a beer together.’ It will be very professional."

He admitted that it was "a bit weird":

“I was surprised when I saw him. But I was like, ‘Oh, he’s here, cool, let’s have this talk today.’ It was even better that he was there, actually. It was OK. I knew he would show up in the gym, but I didn’t know when. It was a bit weird, but it was very light.”

Gilbert Burns is looking for the finish

Gilbert Burns said that Usman is going to be a far bigger challenge than Demian Maia and former Champion Tyron Woodley. However, he's still going to try for a knockout or submission but admitted that it's going to be hard to do that to The Nigerian Nightmare. He predicted a 5-round war against Usman.