The welterweight title is expected to go up for grabs when champion Kamaru Usman faces off with former teammate Gilbert Burns at UFC 256 on Dec. 12. News of the fight was first reported by TMZ on Tuesday and confirmed to MMA Fighting by sources close to the promotion.
The welterweight title fight was originally scheduled for July at UFC 251, but Burns was forced off the card after he tested positive for COVID-19. In his place, Jorge Masvidal stepped into face Usman on six days’ notice but ultimately lost a unanimous decision.
Now that Burns has recovered, the fight against Usman is being rescheduled for December as the Brazilian looks to build on his recent win streak that includes dominant victories over former champion Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia.
As for Usman, he’s been nearly unstoppable since arriving in the UFC by way of The Ultimate Fighter. With 12 wins in a row, Usman is undefeated in the octagonm including wins in three straight title fights with two defenses under his belt.
When he was previously scheduled, Usman moved his fight camp from Florida’s Sanford MMA, where he worked alongside Burns, to Colorado, where he joined up with longtime MMA coach and occasional UFC color commentator Trevor Wittman.
Now it appears Usman will restart another training camp to get ready for Burns with the former teammates on a collision course in December.
