Gilbert Burns wasn’t the second fighter chosen to take on Kamaru Usman.
The UFC Welterweight Champion is officially scheduled to defend the belt at UFC 251 next month against Burns; however, the match-up could’ve actually been Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman, according to Edwards himself.
With the plans for Jorge Masvidal and Usman falling through, Edwards claimed that he was contacted before Burns about challenging for the 170-pound belt, unfortunately, the welterweight was unable to take the fight for July:
Usman and Edwards collided early in their careers at UFC on Fox 17, with the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion getting the victory via unanimous decision. Since then, Edwards has racked up wins by beating the likes of former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone. The 28-year-old is currently on a eight-fight winning streak, though he’s ranked at #5 in the division rankings.