A thrilling but decisive welterweight title headlined UFC 258 from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas on Saturday. Kamaru Usman (18-1) climbed to second place for the most consecutive wins (13) in UFC history after defending his 170-pound title in a third round TKO from former teammate Gilbert Burns (19-4) .
Let’s take a closer look at the biggest pay-per-view card takeaways in general after a resounding win for one of the best pound-for-pound in the sport.
1. Give (much) more respect to the name of Kamaru Usman
Let’s face it, the likely exit of undefeated welterweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov puts an interesting wrinkle in the current P4P discussion in the UFC. Yes, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been a fixture on this list for nearly a decade, but his recent fights have shown that the competition is slowly catching up to him. So, along with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Usman used the convincing nature of his TKO against such a dangerous foe in Burns to catapult himself into the conversation for the best fighter in the world.
Usman has been extremely dominant since his UFC debut in 2015, but largely did so with his wrestling when he came in on Saturday after going the distance in nine of his last 11 fights. But the way Usman used a sharp jab to put on his right hands and eventually finish Burns shows just how fast the 33-year-old champion continues to evolve. Add to that the fact that he took Burns’ best punch in lap 1 and only left his feet for a split second – Usman can no longer be called boring or one-dimensional. It’s time to refer to Usman for what he really is: arguably the best and most dominant fighter in the sport today.
2. Trevor Wittman is very good at cutting diamonds
Giving too much credit to a coach rather than a fighter for his or her improvement can be a precarious move, but Wittman continues to prove his genius manners with every elite fighter he’s on par with. After helping Rose Namajunas and Justin Gaethje make the final jump to their championship form, Wittman clearly has an equally big effect on Usman in just their second training camp together.
Together with Usman’s aforementioned jab, which he used as a premium Georges St-Pierre as a main weapon, “The Nigerian Nightmare” showed increased comfort in changing positions and giving unexpected glances at Burns. Usman was already a dominant champion when he left Sanford MMA in Florida to join forces with Wittman, but it is clear their working relationship has done wonders for Usman’s continued evolution. The fact that he can be so dominant and only get better remains a frightening proposition to the rest of the sport, and it continues to show just how valuable a mentor Wittman remains.
3. It may be time for Maycee Barber to slow down her role
This doesn’t mean that Team Barber should panic. But the polarizing 22-year-old prospect, who is quickly running out of time in her goal to beat Jon Jones’ record as the youngest UFC champion, has now tasted defeat for the second consecutive time in a tough style match against Alexa Grasso. Barber, as she showed during her last lap rally, still possesses such an appealing mix of power and explosion that helped her initially make her name. But the last two fights also showed how much she still has to work from a footwork, technique and game planning standpoint to get to the title level.
Grasso had the answer to stifle or suppress Barber’s forward attack at just about every corner in the early start, and showed an improved grip ability to keep her off the mat. Being young and brash is fun, but there is no substitute for experience. For the second consecutive fight, Barber received the kind of valuable instruction that often comes only from defeat. It will likely take more time than she wants her to actually become a legitimate title threat. Barber has the tools to get there, but she just needs more refinement.
4. Kelvin Gastelum reminded critics of his family tree
Very few fighters not called Yoel Romero can maintain their elite status within MMA, despite running a three-fight loss-making slip after dropping four out of five in total. But 29-year-old Gastelum, for as streaky as he can be, only seems to lose to the best fighters. That gap in the class was evident in Gastelum’s convincing decision to win Ian Heinisch, as the left-hander relied more on his wrestling than his left to get back into the winning column.
Gastelum said he entered the Octagon to fight for his job. While his win was far more craft than spectacular, he had to put aside the past and walk a path where his flashes of brilliance became more of a consistency than a deviation from the trail. Gastelum has likely got him a big name to come up against with the win, and may not be as far from a title shot given his name value as critics would think, provided he can continue to combine wins.
5. To check the bets
Middleweight Anthony Hernandez came in winning just one of his last four games, competing as a massive underdog against undefeated Brazilian submission pundit Rodolfo Viera. What if you wanted to win Hernandez through submission? Talk about a long shot at 1/30. Few could have imagined the wild first round that would happen next when Viera Hernandez struggled downhill and took his back with ease in the first 30 seconds, but failed to produce a tap. The effort he put into doing this surprisingly allowed the carved Viera, a seated duck, to strike when it became apparent late in the round that he was exhausted.
The massive swing in momentum was dramatic as Viera was lucky enough to make it to Round 2 and couldn’t revive herself once the second stanza started. Hernandez gathered to do what most felt was impossible to enter: Send in Viera via kata gatame choke to complete a massive upset, reminding us that betting odds are there as a guide, but far from gospel in this constantly unpredictable sport.