Tyron Woodley reveals why Gilbert Burns has an upper hand over Kamaru Usman

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UFC Fight Night: Woodley v Burns

Tyron Woodley's last two fights have been against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns respectively. He lost the UFC Welterweight Championship to Kamaru Usman in a dominant, one-sided performance. After over a year, he returned to the Octagon to face Gilbert Burns and was defeated in another one-sided fight.

With Gilbert Burns being the next man in line to face Kamaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship, Tyron Woodley knows the strengths that both men possess.

When appearing on the UFC Unfiltered podcast (H/T MMA Junkie), Tyron Woodley explained the areas where the Brazilian Gilbert Burns has an advantage over Kamaru Usman:

“He has more power than Usman. He’s a better grappler than Usman, jiu-jitsu wise, but I think the striking – he may not be better, but he does punch a little bit harder, and it’s going to be a point where it has to go to the ground. We all just can be real: Gilbert’s gonna win that ground fight. Maybe not from his back, but if he finds a way on top or a position where he can take the back, it’s a problem.”

Tyron Woodley said that Kamaru Usman is a great implementer and knows how to make adjustments:

“Usman’s above average everywhere, but he’s not excellent anywhere,” Woodley said. “But he’s a good implementer. He’s above average everywhere, but he’s not excellent anywhere, but he’s excellent at putting it together. He’s excellent at making adjustments within a fight.

Kamaru Usman is proving himself as a dominant Champion who is hard to beat. Interestingly enough, former UFC Double Champion Daniel Cormier stated that Kamaru Usman would have lost to Gilbert Burns if he fought the same way he did against Jorge Masvidal.

Gilbert Burns had a full-fledged training camp but tested positive for COVID-19 a week before the event. Unfortunately for him, he had to pull out. However, he recovered just days after the event finished.

Dana White confirmed that Gilbert Burns will be next in line for a title shot.

Tyron Woodley's next fight

Tyron Woodley is expected to return to the Octagon later this year against Colby Covington. Dana White confirmed that Covington had signed that contract and they're now just waiting for Tyron Woodley.

It's going to be an interesting fight, but the odds are going to be against the former UFC Welterweight Champion. Can he bounce back and upset Colby Covington?

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