Michael Chandler believes that we will witness the crowning of a new UFC welterweight champion on February 13.
If there is one person who has as much insight as anyone regarding the UFC 258 main event between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, it’s Michael Chandler. Usman and Burns trained together for years, and Michael Chandler has been a training partner of both men at Sanford MMA.
One of the burning questions ahead of the showdown between Usman and Burns will be: Who had the most success in the sparring sessions between the two? No doubt all the bettors in the world would be dying to have an inside man to share this inside information with them. While war secrets will likely stay buried behind closed doors, perhaps the next best thing is a common training partner publicly predicting who will win between the two combatants.
“Gilbert Burns lives it inside the gym, outside the gym, family man, great human being. I think you’re going to see Gilbert Burns as the next champion,” Chandler said at the UFC 257 post-fight press conference. “ I think where he’s at mentally, where he’s at physically…he’s a large human being. The fact that he ever made 155, it blows my mind.”
Chandler Has Witnessed Burns’s Preparation Up Close
Kamaru Usman stepped away from Sanford MMA in preparation for this fight, and Chandler has been training with Burns in the meantime. During this stretch leading up to UFC 258, everything Chandler has seen has only further strengthened his confidence that Burns gets his hand raised on the 13th.
“We worked together for this fight. He had a lot of insight on Dan Hooker,” Chandler said. “He’s the best technician on the ground in the world in my opinion, power in both hands; I can’t wait to see that fight. Obviously, Kamaru Usman is a friend of mine, former teammate, but I believe Gilbert Burns will be able to get that done.”
UFC 258 takes place February 13, 2021 from the UFC APEX and will stream exclusively on ESPN+.
How much does Michael Chandler’s prediction influence your thoughts on the upcoming fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns?
This article first appeared on MMANews.com on January 26, 2021.
