UFC 258: Usman vs Burns – Preview and Predictions

UFC 258 goes down this Saturday at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

UFC 258: Main Event

The main event is an extraordinary match between two former teammates. They know everything about each other’s style, meaning this will be a true test of their skills. Usman was always the “A” side in their sparring sessions. Kamaru Usman is the better fighter on the feet and loves to dominate his opponents.

TSN MMA analyst @RobinBlackMMA joins @JayOnrait to discuss the upcoming #UFC258 main event between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. pic.twitter.com/v9vFlRnJFp

— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) February 11, 2021

If this fight goes to decision Usman will likely have his hand raised. If Gilbert Burns wants to leave the UFC octagon victorious. he is going to need to find a way to stop Usman inside five rounds. However, Burns is confident that he can submit Usman. Burns’ gas tank is not his strong suit, and Usman is not an easy fighter to takedown.

Usman wins this by KO in the 4th or 5th round or this goes to a decision. Ultimately, Usman will have his hand raised.

Co-main Event

The co-main event of UFC 258 is a fight most fans did not expect to see made this early in these fighters’ careers. Maycee Barber is only 22-years-old but has an 8-1 record. She is coming off her first career loss and a devastating knee injury. Barber is the 10th ranked fighter in the women’s flyweight division. Although she is ranked hight than her opponent Alexa Grasso(15), she comes into this fight as the slight underdog.

Maycee Barber (126) vs Alexa Grasso (125.5)#UFC258 #UFC pic.twitter.com/P7oMe6DucO

— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) February 12, 2021

It will be interesting to see how Barber looks after her knee injury. These two ladies are both future stars in the flyweight division and I expect both fighters to be inside the top ten rankings when the year is over. Grasso has knockout power and knows how to win a fight by decision. Barber has finished the fight in seven of her eight wins with five knockouts and two submissions.

I am picking Grasso by decision in this one but encourage fight fans to watch this one as fans and keep your wallets away.

Gastelum Vs. Heinisch

MMA fans take pride that MMA is more like a fight to the death than boxing. If there was no referee in the octagon someone would likely be carried out. However, this fight is one for these two fighters’ UFC lives. The winner will stay under contract in the UFC. Unfortunately, the loser will likely be cut.

Gastelum has reached the level of UFC stardom. He found that staying there proved to be more difficult than the climb. Gastelum gave Israel Adesanya his most difficult test so far in the octagon. The loss to Adesanya triggered the start of a three-fight losing streak. Now, the 29-year-old needs a win over Ian Heinisch to guarantee he keeps his roster spot ahead of more cuts.

Ian Heinisch does not have a resume that jumps off the page. A fight with Kelvin Gastelum is a career-changing opportunity. If he wins he can propel himself to bigger fights and find himself on more big cards like the one he’s on this Saturday. Heinsch may be being used as a gauge to see how far Gastelum’s talents have fallen however, for Heinsch this is the opportunity he’s been working for his entire life.

Gastelum will come away with a win and live to fight another day in the octagon at UFC 258.

Jack Gotsell

See author's posts