UFC 288 takes place Saturday night, headlined by Aljamain Sterling defending the bantamweight championship against Henry Cejudo. While the card is centered around that, another must-see fight is the welterweight bout pitting Gilbert Burns against Belal Muhammad.
Burns (22-5) is on a two-fight win streak, most recently defeating Jorge Masvidal last month at UFC 287. That marked his third win in four fights, inching closer to his first title shot since losing to Kamaru Usman in February of 2021. Burns had rattled Usman that fight, yet strayed from the game plan and was ultimately finished by Usman. He saw similarities in his fight against Masvidal, with the primary difference being that he remained discipline.
“I was doing well in that fight against Usman, but I got too emotional and it cost me,” says Burns. “I got overexcited and didn’t stick with the plan. I had similar success against Jorge, but I stuck to the game plan and kept control of myself. Jorge is dangerous in the later rounds, but I didn’t let him get me. I would have liked a finish, but it was a good win.”
Both Burns and Muhammad (22-3, 1 NC) accepted this bout on short notice. The opening was there after Charles Oliveira backed out of his lightweight bout against Beneil Dariush due to an injury, opening up a prime spot on the card.
Burns initially asked for Colby Covington, but was instead offered this fight against Muhammad. While Covington is up next for a title shot, the winner of this fight will be the next to fight for the belt.
“I wanted Colby, but I was told Colby was not unavailable,” says Burns. “[UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby called and told me that Belal was available. Now it’s my chance to go in there and earn another title shot.
“I need to go out there, dominate, and get an amazing finish. I get this win, I’ll get my title shot.”
Muhammad will be an extraordinarily tough opponent. He has not tasted defeat in his last nine fights, and he is hungry to use this five-round bout at 288 to showcase why he is most deserving of the title shot against Leon Edwards.
“My last fight against Sean Brady, people were still doubting me, and I went out and put a stamp on it,” says Muhammad, who ended Brady’s 15-fight undefeated streak last October with a TKO finish. “My team, my family, we know how hard we work. Guys in the top five have given excuses why they won’t fight me. When they offered me Gilbert, I wanted to know I was getting the title shot next. Once I heard that, I was in.
“This is my title fight. If I win here, I’m getting my title shot. So this is the biggest fight of my life. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] said to me, ‘You’re a five-round fighter. Take the fight at five rounds.’ I want to be the best in the world. That’s why I took a five-round fight.”
A distinct advantage for Muhammad is his ability to adjust mid-fight. He has also honed in on Burns’ tendency to allow emotion to sway his decision making during a bout.
“This is a game of chess,” says Muhammad. “A lot of guys can’t make those adjustments. I’ve studied Gilbert’s game so much. We’re thinking three, four moves ahead. We’re fighting with strategy, not emotion. Gilbert is one of those guys who fights with emotion. He’s not fought anyone like me, so we’ll see if he can adjust or if he starts melting.”
This is a statement fight in the welterweight division. Muhammad plans to make one that leaves people in awe.
“I’m the hardest matchup in the division,” says Muhammad. “I’m the hardest man to deal with. Guys are looking for reasons not to fight me, so I knew I’d have to catch someone on short notice. Gilbert thinks he caught me on short notice. He didn’t.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
