The highly anticipated meeting between IBJJF gi and no-gi champ Gilbert Burns and UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 finished early after some expert standup work from both fighters. Prior to their meeting, though, fans were treated to an action-packed brawl between Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber.
Co-Main Event
Maycee Barber vs. Alexa Grasso
After a few brief strike exchanges, Barber charged forward and ended up in the clinch with Grasso, forcing her against the cage before Grasso flipped her around. Barber broke free and returned the fight to the center of the octagon, getting hit with a big right hand from Grasso and then again driving her against the cage. A back-and-forth reversal battle ensued, with both fighters throwing elbows and knees as they each pushed the other against the cage. Barber broke free with an elbow, and a big exchange ensued, with Grasso hitting Barber with a right hand and Barber countering with a strong elbow. The round finished with Grasso forcing Barber against the cage in the clinch, throwing knees until the bell rang.
The second round saw the fighters keeping their distance a bit more, both displaying good defense as they evaded punches and kicks. A shot to the body and then the head from Grasso rocked Barber, but Barber managed to recover enough to push Grasso against the cage and exchange a few combos with each other before they broke apart. Barber then landed a few big hits on Grasso, and with about a minute-thirty left in the round, Barber landed a body kick and brought the fight to the ground, ending up in Grasso’s guard. As Barber tried to pass, Grasso secured her near-side arm and toppled her over to go for an armbar briefly before transitioning to side control. Barber threw a few elbows from the bottom, and Grasso capitalized by threatening a head-arm choke and then taking the back as Barber tried to roll away. She tried to secure the rear naked choke, but wasn’t able to finish it before the round ended.
Round three began with both competitors keeping their distance before Grasso charged forward and pushed Barber against the fence in the clinch. Barber tripped Grasso and brought her to the ground, landing a few big strikes from there and then a knee as Grasso got back to her feet. As Grasso tried to back away from Barber to escape danger, Barber continued coming after her with some big strikes, ultimately forcing her against the cage and throwing some knees. Grasso broke away for a moment before Barber again brought the fight back to the cage, both fighters throwing knees as they battled to reverse the position in their favor. The clock wound down as Barber took Grasso to the ground once again, and the fight went to the judges’ decision.
Alexa Grasso took home the unanimous decision.
Main Event
Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns
ROCKED! BURNS HAS THE CHAMP REELING! #UFC258 pic.twitter.com/HvPkyhYM7S
— UFC (@ufc) February 14, 2021
Burns came out swinging, and after a couple kicks, he landed a huge right hand that knocked Usman down. Usman wasn’t out, though, and he quickly returned to his feet and ended up on the receiving end of a few more big hits from Burns. Usman caught a kick from Burns, and the latter was content to play open guard and exchange a few kicks with Usman. Usman landed a big body shot that prompted Burns to begin returning to his feet, and Burns hit Usman with a solid knee before Usman managed to push him against the cage. After separating, the fighters returned to the center and exchanged a few combos, with Usman landing a hard leg kick on Burns and Burns responding with a low kick of his own. Usman countered with a body kick, and Burns continued to hit back with strong right hands while trying to avoid damage from Usman’s persistent jabs. At the thirty-second mark, Usman blocked a dangerous head kick from his opponent, and Burns finished the round strong with some final punches and a knee.
MY GOODNESS! The champ smells blood in the water
— UFC (@ufc) February 14, 2021#UFC258 pic.twitter.com/POk5EsdvND
In round two, Usman stayed consistent with his quick jabs, and Burns landed a strong low kick that briefly wobbled Usman. Burns’ right hand continued to be a threat, and Usman seemed to rattle Burns with another solid jab. Then, a big hand from Usman nearly knocked Burns down and definitely dazed him, forcing him to go into protective mode as Usman followed up on it. Burns went for a takedown, which Usman defended, and Usman begin switching between his southpaw and orthodox stances as he battered Burns with jabs, landing one that knocked his opponent to the ground and forced Burns to play open guard with a little over a minute left in the round. Burns was told to return to his feet, and the round finished with Usman defending a takedown shot from Burns.
Usman knocked Burns to the ground with a right hand early in round three and followed it up with a punch that bounced Burns’ head off the ground. Burns’ attempts to defend were impressive, but in vain, and Usman continued to rain down punches until the referee called the fight at 34 seconds into round 3.
And still
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2021#UFC258
(via @ufc)pic.twitter.com/4oYKOY0A5D
Usman was declared the winner by TKO and retained his welterweight title and extended his winning streak to seventeen consecutive victories.
FULL RESULTS:
Prelims:
Gabe Green def Philip Rowe via decision
Chris Gutierrez def Andre Ewell via decision
Polyana Viana def Mallory Martin via submission
Belal Muhammed def Dhiego Lima via decision
Anthony Hernandez def Rodolfo Vieira via submission
Main Card
Julian Marquez def Maki Pitolo via submission
Ricky Simon def Brian Kelleher via decision
Kelvin Gastelum def Ian Heinisch via decision
Alexa Grasso def Maycee Barber via decision
Kamaru Usman def Gilbert Burns via TKO
The post UFC 258 FULL RESULTS: Kamaru Usman TKOs Gilbert Burns, Retains Welterweight Title appeared first on Jiu-Jitsu Times.