Sunday work at the garage! @TatamiFightwear
@Sanabul
pic.twitter.com/KwIEfrQIDG— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho)
September 13, 2020
Gilbert
Burns will face Kamaru
Usman for the undisputed
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown at UFC
256 on Dec. 12, so it was something of a surprise when the
champion paid a recent visit to the challenger’s camp. According to
Brazilian outlet Combate.com, Usman showed up at a
Sanford MMA training session on Sept. 14.
“The Nigerian Nightmare” was once part of the Sanford MMA team but
elected to move to
Elevation Fight Team in Colorado in June. While Usman’s visit
was celebrated by some of his former stablemates, Burns considered
it a “psychological test” from the champion.
“I think he wanted to intimidate me, but somehow, I had a feeling
that he was going to show up, so it was not a big surprise to me,”
Burns said. “I went there and talked to him: ‘How are you?
Everything fine?’ He asked, ‘What about [the coronavirus]?’ I
answered, ‘100 percent cured and ready.’ If he wanted to make me
feel uncomfortable, he was probably surprised by my easy
welcome.”
According to Burns, after their brief conversation ended, he warmed
up and began his training. The fact that Usman sparred with
Vicente
Luque—the challenger’s best friend and closest teammate—was of
no concern for Burns.
“We trained so many times together that if he sees me training or I
see him, nothing will change,” Burns said. “We already know what we
are going to do in the fight, so nothing will change.”