It’s difficult to imagine Kamaru Usman or Justin Gaethje getting any better, but according to “The Highlight” that’s exactly what’s happening ahead of their next fights.
Usman is set for the second defense of his welterweight title when he meets white hot challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 251 on July 11, while Gaethje is expected to challenge unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in September. The two are apparently putting in work up in Colorado and Gaethje shared a clip of some spirited sparring on his Instagram.
n the clip, Gaethje’s coach Trevor Wittman can be seen smiling in the background as Usman and Gaethje rifle body shots at each other before the buzzer sounds.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Gaethje wrote in an accompanying caption. “How much would you pay to watch this for a few rounds? (Usman) is looking like a straight killer. Glad to have him in the room. Just two dudes having fun.”
Usman has yet to lose in the UFC. He won The Ultimate Fighter 21 in 2015 and then rattled off 10 straight wins, defeating Tyron Woodley to become the welterweight champion and then authoring a successful title defense in a thriller against rival Colby Covington in December.
Gaethje earned his title shot on the strength of four consecutive wins and a string of bonus-winning performances. He most recently finished Tony Ferguson to capture an interim lightweight belt and set up a unification bout with Nurmagomedov.