Gilbert ‘Durinho‘ Burns will square off against the current number fourth-ranked welterweight contender Belal Muhammad as the co-main event of UFC 288. Worth mentioning that Burns last stepped inside the octagon less than a month ago when he faces Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal at UFC 287.
Burns came out victorious in that bout as he got his hand raised via unanimous decision sending Masvidal into retirement. By agreeing to fight at short notice against top contender Muhammad, Burns earned everyone’s respect. Ideally proving the ideology, anyone, anytime, anywhere. Not only Burns but Muhammad also deserves credit for taking what could be the biggest fight of his career at such a short duration.
Two co-main events in a month? No problem! Head to @Stake for all the best odds and promotions for UFC 288. LFG đ„© pic.twitter.com/NewJDsIQqW
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) April 29, 2023
Belal Muhammad himself believes that this fight reminds him of the first encounter between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor. He says âItâs my Nate Diaz moment. The Nate Diaz-Conor McGregor. This guyâs taking everything I worked for. I wanted the Khamzat [Chimaev] fight, they gave it to Gilbert. I wanted the [Jorge] Masvidal fight. They gave it to Gilbert. Now theyâre talking about Gilbert fighting for a title⊠You want to give him everything that I want? Iâm going to have to take it from him.â
UFC president Dana White was all praises for both the fighters. He said “What I love about this fight is that they both wanted it to be five rounds. Two of the best guys in the division, and both think they deserve a title shot after this.”
Gilbert Burns vs Belal Muhammad match-up
Both Burns and Belal have demanded their title shot on various occasions. Burns who is fresh off a convincing victory over Masvidal demanded the UFC to have him as a backup fighter for the title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington which White remains adamant about. Burns is currently riding high on a two-fight win streak while Muhammad is unbeaten in his last nine octagon appearances.
Belal who has always gotten flak for not being an âentertainingâ fighter silenced all the critics with his last performance against Sean Brady. While Burns on the other hand has always gone all out in all his fights, not leaving anything in the tank. For Muhammad a win over a big name like Burns would certainly strengthen his case for the title and the same applies for Burns.
