Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje seem to be having a blast caving each other’s ribs in.
Usman is preparing for another UFC welterweight title defense but things are a bit different this time. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has changed camps ahead of his title showdown with former teammate Gilbert Burns. Usman, who has trained in Florida throughout his pro MMA career, has made the move to Denver. He is being coached by Trevor Wittman and one of his training partners is current interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.
Usman & Gaethje Have ‘Fun’ Tearing Each Other’s Body
Gaethje uploaded footage of a recent sparring session with Usman. Here is his post on Instagram.
“Iron sharpens iron. How much would you pay to watch this for a few rounds? @usman84kg is looking like a straight killer. Glad to have him in the room. Just two dudes having fun.”
Usman has been on a tear in the 170-pound division. He captured the welterweight gold back in March 2019. He decimated Tyron Woodley for five rounds to take the unanimous decision victory. He followed that up with his first successful title defense against Colby Covington in December of that same year. In a thriller, Usman scored the fifth-round TKO finish.
While Usman was expected to put his gold on the line against Jorge Masvidal next, talks fell apart between “Gamebred” and the UFC. As a result, Burns will now get the title opportunity. Usman vs. Burns will headline UFC 251 on July 11. The event will take place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
As for Gaethje, he’s set to meet UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout. The title clash is expected to take place in September. Gaethje captured the interim gold back in May by stopping Tony Ferguson via fifth-round TKO. This snapped Ferguson’s 12-fight winning streak.
