Belal Muhammad

ANALYSIS
Muhammad deserves full marks for his performance. He went out and did exactly what he said he was going to do. He constantly pressured Edwards on the feet, winning many of the striking exchanges between the two. The constant pressure had Leon worrying about the level change, and Belal responded by landing seven of eight takedowns over the course of the first 15 minutes alone. His lone poor round was the third, when Edwards landed a takedown of his own and Muhammad spent more than four minutes on his back. Yet, Belal got right back on the horse and pinned Leon to the mat the vast majority of the final two rounds. Muhammad did eat a massive elbow with about 30 seconds left, but he had already done enough to lock up the decision. Belal's style of fighting isn't visually pleasing, but between his wrestling, improved striking and elite cardio, he's a problem for any welterweight on the UFC roster. As if winning the belt wasn't enough, Muhammad gets his revenge on Edwards following the accidental eye poke which resulted in the first fight between the two being deemed a no-contest back in March of 2021.

ANALYSIS
Muhammad will head into the bout riding a nine-fight win streak dating back to 2019. Muhammad and Edwards previously entered the Octagon together in 2021, with the fight resulting in a No-Contest due to an eye poke from Edwards at the start of the second round. Muhammad will certainly have a tough task ahead of him as the five-foot-11 American will have to overcome both a size and reach disadvantage compared to the larger Edwards.

ANALYSIS
UFC President Dana White stated before the fight that winner here would get the next shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship, and that's certainly not going to change given how dominant Muhammad looked in this fight. Yes, Burns was compromised following an apparent late Round 1 shoulder injury, but Muhammad, who agreed to this fight just a few weeks ago, dominated from bell-to-bell. Belal's takedown defense is legendary, and he stuffed all four of Gilbert's takedown attempts. That allowed Muhammad to overwhelm Burns on the feet to a tune of 132-81 edge in total strikes landed. Belal's cardio is exceptional, he's tough as nails, and has zero holes in his game. He's a legitimate title contender at 170 pounds. Muhammad hasn't lost since January 2019, a span of ten fights. He's 9-0 (1NC) in that span, with the no-contest coming against current UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards in March 2021 right before Leon won the belt.

ANALYSIS
Muhammad last fought Oct. 22 when he defeated Sean Brady via TKO (punches) in the second round. His counterpart will be entering the Octagon for the second time in a month after he took down Jorge Masvidal. Both fighters are looking to get their shot at a title opportunity, and the winner could likely be in line for one versus either Leon Edwards or Colby Covington, should they end up fighting next for the Welterweight belt.

ANALYSIS
Muhammad continues to go about his business, garnering nowhere near as much respect as he deserves while taking out quality fighters at 170 pounds. Knowing he would have to remain upright in order to compete against Brady, Muhammad stuffed all five of his opponent's takedown attempts. That allowed him to eventually overwhelm Brady on the feet in the closing seconds of Round 2 en route to the win. The victory would go on to earn him one of two $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses awarded on the evening. Belal is now undefeated in his last nine fights (8-0, 1NC). His last four victories have come over Brady, Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson, and Demian Maia. Muhammad's recent body of work may very easily put him in position for a No. 1 contender fight his next time out. He's been that good.