Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns Championship Fight Confirmed for UFC 258

John Locher/Associated Press

Kamaru Usman will defend the welterweight championship against Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 on Feb. 13.

The two were originally supposed to fight at UFC 251 before Burns had to bow out after testing positive for COVID-19. Jorge Masvidal was a last-minute replacement and lost to Usman by unanimous decision.

ESPN's Brett Okamoto reported Jan. 4 that Usman and Burns had agreed to terms for a title bout and merely needed to sign the contracts.

Burns is the No. 2 challenger in UFC's welterweight rankings. The 34-year-old Brazilian last fought in May at UFC on ESPN 9, earning a unanimous-decision win over Tyron Woodley. He has been victorious in his last six fights dating back to 2018.

Usman, meanwhile, sports a 17-1 record in MMA. His lone defeat came in May 2013 and was his second professional fight. Usman captured the welterweight championship from Woodley at UFC 235, and he made a successful defense against Colby Covington at UFC 245 before taking down Masvidal.

With UFC announcing the location as Las Vegas, UFC 258 will presumably emanate from the APEX training facility, which will host UFC Fight Night 184 one week prior.

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