Rafael dos Anjos picks Gilbert Burns to dethrone champ Kamaru Usman at UFC 251

Rafael dos Anjos is picking Gilbert Burns to upset UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Usman faces fast-rising contender and teammate Burns on July 11 in the main event of UFC 251. Since moving up to 170 pounds, Burns has been on a remarkable run, most recently dominating former champion Tyron Woodley last month to secure his title shot.

Burns’ surge comes as no surprise to dos Anjos, who’s known Burns since childhood.

“I’ve known Gilbert since like first grade,” Burns told MMA Junkie. “I was his older brother’s best friend. We were in like second grade, and Gilbert was in first grade. I’ve known Gilbert for so many years him and his brothers, and he’s a great guy. I like him a lot.”

Dos Anjos, the former UFC lightweight champion, already has spent 25 minutes in the octagon with Usman, losing a unanimous decision to him in 2018. So he’s pretty familiar with the champion’s game, but dos Anjos likes Burns’ mentality heading into the fight.

“I think he’s very motivated,” dos Anjos said of Burns. “One thing I can be sure: He’s motivated. I think since he and Kamaru, they trained a lot together in the past, I think he has a big chance. I’ll put my money on Gilbert, because I feel like he’s on his time, and he feels like he got a chance for the title, and I’m sure he’s going to go with everything.”