Gilbert Burns believes he followed the wrong blueprint once he hurt Kamaru Usman in the opening round of the UFC 258 headliner.
“I think I got over excited. I went Cody Garbrandt crazy as soon as I hurt him,” Burns said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was the second time [in my career]. I think I made the same mistake when I fought Dan Hooker. I got over excited. To become a champion, I cannot make those mistakes.”Burns hurt Usman when an overhand right during an early exchange in their welterweight title bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. From there, the Brazilian blitzed for the finish and ultimately wound up slipping on a head kick. Burns couldn’t entice Usman into his guard, and the champion gradually regained his bearings.
Garbrandt, the former UFC bantamweight champion, became known for biting down on his mouthpiece and throwing caution to the wind during a three-bout skid in which he suffered knockout losses to T.J. Dillashaw (twice) and P…