Usman beats Burns with TKO and makes history
Kamaru Usman earned the longest winning streak in welterweight history with his 13th consecutive victory at UFC 258 on Saturday.
Kamaru Usman rocked Gilbert Burns with a TKO victory to retain his welterweight championship title at UFC 258.
Usman stopped Burns in the third round of the main event at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, where the champion landed a flurry of big strikes on the ground before referee Herb Dean waved off the fight.
Usman bounced back from initial set-back
The 33-year-old (18-1), who was briefly stunned by Burns in the opening round, took control of Saturday's bout and never looked back in a relentless performance.
Usman – champion since defeating Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in 2019 – left Burns (19-4) staggering the second round before dropping his opponent again early in the third with a jab.
With victory on the horizon, Usman unleashed several powerful punches to force a stoppage at the 34-second mark of the round as he earned the longest winning streak in welterweight history with his 13th consecutive triumph – surpassing Georges St-Pierre.
Usman: the best on the planet
"I am the best on the planet for a reason," Usman – who has never lost in the UFC – said in his post-fight interview.
"Y'all, everybody else, you better put some f****** respect on my name. ... I'm here to stay."
"I'm the varsity guy," Usman said. "My fight IQ is different. It's different when you're in the gym with me. But when you get in here, it's a different ballgame. I'm a whole 'nother savage."
Usman hailed former team-mate Burns, adding: "Gilbert is a guy that I've known from the start. I love him. This one was tough for me to deal with.
"Guys, you cannot discredit what Gilbert Burns has done in this division. We started together. We started this journey together, and he showed it tonight. He went in there and put it all together."
Elsewhere, Alexa Grasso, Kelvin Gastelum, Ricky Simon and Julian Marquez were all winners on the main card.