Gilbert Burns believes Leon Edwards had the perfect game plan for his rematch against Kamaru Usman, with Edwards’ impressive striking and takedown defense contributing to his victory.
Gilbert Burns was one of only a handful of fighters who gave Leon Edwards a legitimate chance to upset Kamaru Usman in their rematch this past August. Edwards got the job done with a stunning comeback knockout to end Usman’s title reign, but he still had something to prove in their trilogy at UFC 286. Edwards passed the test after he defeated Usman in a second-straight fight, earning the victory in a five-round decision without last-second theatrics.
Much like in the first fight, Burns never counted Edwards out in the trilogy but admits that Usman was likely carrying around some demons from the knockout loss he suffered, which might have easily contributed to the defeat. Burns commented on the strategy, “I think Leon came in with the perfect game plan. A lot of kicks, [Kamaru Usman] is going to be worried about the head kick. He kicked so good, he has a great kicking game, sharp. So he started with low kicks and then body kicks and then Kamaru was too worried about the head kick that the body was hurting him. The leg was hurting him, the front kick and then knees and then lateral movement. The takedown defense was impressive, too, but a guy that’s getting hit to the body, your gas tank kind of slows down a little bit. You’re not the strongest man anymore.”
Burns, who spent years training alongside Usman as teammates in Florida before facing each other, discussed the former UFC champion’s move to Colorado to work with head coach Trevor Wittman. Despite the change in scenery, Usman still found plenty of success with Wittman, but Burns felt like the biggest deficiency Usman faced in his attempt to get revenge on Edwards ultimately came down to failing to land takedowns.
“I felt that he wasn’t 100 percent and I felt that one of his best weapons was his wrestling and he didn’t look that sharp,” Burns said. “I’m not trying to throw nothing on Kamaru, I think he’s a great fighter, one of the best that ever did that and a dominant champion.” He cannot be sure why Usman appeared to struggle with his wrestling, but acknowledged that something was off. Despite Edwards’ victory, Burns is unsure if it will make his own path to the title any easier. With Colby Covington named as the next contender for a title shot, he wonders if an Usman victory might have been better for his own career. However, Burns admits, “I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”