Technique 

Video: BJJ Scout Breaks Down Kamaru Usman’s MMA Wrestling

Ben Coate

The main event of Saturday’s UFC 258 features two of the best MMA grapplers in the world. To help fans prepare for the welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, BJJ Scout dropped a thorough and detailed breakdown of Usman’s wrestling attack.

As you will see in the video, Usman achieves most of his takedowns against the fence. For that reason, BJJ Scout focuses in on Usman’s cage wrestling. Watch the video below to learn how Usman uses intermediate positions along the fence to control his opponents, inflict damage, and ultimately secure takedowns.

Usman is the current UFC welterweight champion and arguably has the best wrestling in MMA. He has used that wrestling to earn a perfect 12-0 UFC record. Usman has defended his belt twice, most recently in July 2020 against Jorge Masvidal.

Burns came to MMA with a deep background in competitive jiu-jitsu, and he’s continued to compete (albeit less regularly) throughout his MMA career. He is an IBJJF gi and no-gi champion. If Burns is able to win the belt from Usman, he will be the only current UFC champion with a background in elite competitive jiu-jitsu.

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and currently holds the rank of brown belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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