UFC 258: There is a reason why Kamaru Usman hasn't been beaten since 2013

Gilbert Burns was expected to be Kamaru Usman's toughest challenger. Both were former teammates and knew each other's weaknesses and strengths. UFC Welterweight Championship was on the line and fans expected a thriller inside the Octagon. There was a lot of talk about Burns being the one to dethrone Usman.

The Brazilian even started well as he landed some big punches on the champion. There were left-right combos, big overhand rights that landed on Usman's face and it was mixed in with wrestling. Usman was rattled by the pace of Burns in the opening round.

However, it was the second round where Usman showed why he has a 13-fight unbeaten streak. He hit Burns early with a big right hand, which rocked him. Usman constantly landed jabs on Burns and it played a part in the finish. Burns was constantly getting dropped by the punches from Usman.

Usman nearly finished the fight in the second round but the buzzer saved the challenger. However, the fight did not last long as Usman finished the job early in the third round.

The fight was waved off at the 34-second mark of the third round as Usman defeated his former training partner.

"Respect to Gilbert, he's done a great job in this sport," Usman said. "But this is the varsity. My fight IQ is on another level.

With the victory, Usman (18-1) has now won 17 consecutive fights, including all 13 of his UFC bouts. That tops former longtime champion Georges St-Pierre's record win streak in the welterweight division. It was Usman's third successful defense of the belt.

Burns (19-4) had won each of his past six bouts.

The evening's co-feature bout on a fight card that was far from the deepest the UFC has ever offered was a women's flyweight bout between a rising contender and a hyped youngster.

Guadalajara, Mexico's Alexa Grasso (13-3) made the best of her biggest spotlight with a unanimous decision victory over 22-year old Coloradan Maycee Barber (8-2).

Grasso mixed solid standup with an improving ground game to take the first two rounds. Then Barber, fighting for the first time after a year out due to a knee injury, came on strong in the third. However, it wasn't enough as Grasso earned a unanimous decision on scores of 29-28 across the board for her second straight win.

"Every fight I show that I'm better and better, I'm working very hard on my jiu-jitsu and wrestling and I'm gaining in the rankings," Grasso said.

(with Reuters inputs)

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