Kamaru Usman: Malott a good test to see if Burns still wants to fight

Kamaru Usman sees a lot on the line for both Gilbert Burns and Mike Malott at UFC Fight Night 273.

Former title challenger Burns (22-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) takes on rising welterweight contender Malott (13-2-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in Saturday's main event (Paramount+) at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

Malott is a sizable favorite over Burns, who Usman successfully defended his belt against in 2021. Burns is currently on a four-fight losing skid, most recently a quick TKO loss to Michael Morales at UFC Fight Night 256 last May.

"Maybe I'm picking with my heart as well, but also, I love good odds, and I think Gilbert Burns has all the skills to be able to pull this one off," Usman said on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast. "I think Gilbert has all of the tools to potentially pull this off, especially being such a big underdog.

"I think this is a great test for both men because what we saw in Gilbert Burns' last fight, it was almost like he didn't give himself a chance to find that warrior inside himself in that fight vs. Morales. So I think this is a good test to see if he still wants to continue to do this as a job."

For Malott, Usman sees Burns as a springboard fight.

"At the same time, for Michael Malott, it's taking on the seasoned, experienced veteran," Usman said. "Can you go out there and expose of the seasoned, experienced veteran? If you can, then you're potentially ready now for the upper echelon fighters in the welterweight division. So I like this for both guys."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kamaru Usman: Malott can help Gilbert Burns decide fighting future