Usman moves camp ahead of bout vs. longtime teammate Burns
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has changed gyms ahead of his title defense against longtime teammate Gilbert Burns at UFC 251 on July 11, he told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
Usman moved his camp to Denver, where he will work with head coach Trevor Wittman, who trains the likes of interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and former strawweight titleholder Rose Namajunas. Usman's corner for the fight will include Wittman, Jorge Santiago, his brother Mohammed, and possibly Gaethje.
"The Nigerian Nightmare" previously fought out of the now-defunct Blackzilians team and most recently Sanford MMA - both in Florida - under striking coach Henri Hooft. Usman and Burns have trained together for several years.
"Florida was the base for a long time, but you grow from there," Usman told Okamoto.
"I wanted a little more specific attention at this point in my career - someone to be able to say, 'You're going to come in at this time and work on this particular skill,'" Usman continued. "It's very tough to do that when there are 40 to 50 guys in the room with you who also need to get attention."
Burns told ESPN's Phil Murphy he will still train at Sanford MMA ahead of the Usman title bout - but with one change.
"Our main coach, Henri Hooft, he stepped out," Burns said. "He said, 'I don't want to go either way. I don't want to pick a side. You guys train. I'll be here at the gym. If you want to train here, we can train. But I'm not going to the fight.'
"For me, it doesn't change too much," Burns continued. "It's just a little weird to fight Kamaru. I really like the guy a lot. We've trained together since 2012 or 2013, so we've put a lot of time together."
Usman said even if he was never booked to face Burns, he likely would've changed up his camp anyway.
"We had a lot of welterweights at that gym," he said. "At some point, when you're training with these guys on a daily basis and you're the champion of the world, these guys know you in and out and if they get the better of you one day, they're licking their chops thinking it's their time. A little separation from that is good. It keeps that element of surprise, because these guys feel like they know you."
UFC 251 will take place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and will feature two other title fights in addition to the Usman-Burns main event.