UFC Vegas 51 went down last night (Sat., April 15, 2022) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event of the evening, Belal Muhammad pulled off a big win over Vicente Luque, earning a unanimous decision win after five rounds of action (recap here). In the co-main event, Caio Borralho defeated Gadzhi Omargadzhiev via technical decision, his first-ever loss after an accidental illegal blow put an end to the fight earlier than expected.
Biggest Winner: Belal Muhammad
Over five years removed from his knockout loss at the hands of Vicente Luque, Muhammad was able to get his much-desired revenge on the talented Welterweight contender by beating him on all the judges’ scorecard to earn a unanimous decision. “Remember The Name” is now 6-0-1 over his last seven fights, and has gone 9-1-1 since his loss to Luque at UFC 205, which means he should be cracking the Top 5 later next week. While a fight against Colby Covington not might be next for him like he asked, he still could be in line for a big fight, perhaps against former title contender, Gilbert Burns. Muhammad is firing on all cylinders at the moment, and taking a fight against him is a big risk for everyone standing in front of him.
Runner (s) Up: Andre Fialho and Drakkar Klose
After coming up short in his UFC debut against Michel Pereira. Andre Fialho picked up his first UFC win in impressive fashion, obliterating Miguel Baeza via first round technical knockout (TKO) after running into trouble early. Indeed, Baeza seemed to be in control in the striking department until Fialho was able to land a solid shot that rattled his foe and ultimately lead to the end of the fight as a result of massive follow up strikes.
Two years removed from his last fight inside the Octagon, Drakkar Klose returned from the lengthy layoff with a vengeance to score a second round TKO finish over Brandon Jenkins. It seemed as if Klose didn’t skip a beat after being out so long as a result of an injury he suffered at the hands of Jeremy Stephens during is pre-fight shove at weigh-ins. While Klose won’t likely ever get the chance to face Stephens to get his own brand of justice for forcing him out of action for a few years, the win has to feel good for him, especially after taking home a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check, as did Fialho.
Biggest Loser: Vicente Luque
Often considered the odd man out in the stacked Welterweight division despite being one of the hottest fighters in the division, Luque will now have to work that much extra after suffering a loss to Muhammad, snapping his four fight win streak. Indeed, if Luque found it difficult to get the love, spotlight and respect the rest of the Top 5 were getting when he was on a roll, he will find that it will be that much tougher now that he suffered a crucial loss. He has the tools to start another win streak, but it has to be disheartening for the talented 170-pounder to know he was ever-so close to breaking through for a potential title shot or big-money fight, only to have to go back to the drawing board in what is truly a stacked division.
For complete UFC Vegas 51 results and coverage click here.