“Remember The Name” is stepping in on two weeks notice to fight Gilbert Burns in UFC 288’s co-main event, and that means a fast and furious weight cut to make the Welterweight limit.
Belal Muhammad is going to have a rough fight week leading into UFC 288.
The surging Welterweight contender agreed to step in against Gilbert Burns on short notice to shore up ESPN’s pay-per-view (PPV) show on May 6, 2023, after the original co-main event between Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush fell through due to injury.
Now, he’s got a hard weight cut to make the 171-pound limit for the weigh-in in Newark, N.J., which takes place 24 hours prior to showtime.
Muhammad’s nutritionist, Ian Larios, initially told ESPN that Muhammad would be cutting 44 pounds over the two weeks leading up to UFC 288 before “clarifying” that he was “joking.” Who needs that kind of scrutiny from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board leading up to such an important career fight, amirite?
The revised estimate Larios shared is no less impressive: Belal is currently weighing 190 pounds and will drop 19 pounds to face an in-shape Burns, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 earlier this month.
“I’ve got a couple experiences [with drastic weight cuts],” Muhammad admitted to ESPN. “To me, it’s not about the weight — it’s about getting to fight night and throwing down.”
Not only will Muhammad be putting himself through a weight cut crash course, he’ll be challenging Burns in a five-round fight. Both Muhammad and Burns asked for the special conditions to the 170-pound title eliminator fight, and Muhammad said it was Khabib Nurmagomedov who suggested 25 minutes was the way to go.
“I actually talked to Khabib Nurmagomedov,” Muhammad said. “And he said, ‘Brother, I think you should do five rounds.’ I was like, ‘That’s a good thought.’ My team knows what I’m capable of. I’m a guy who gets stronger as rounds get deeper.
“When most guys start breaking and getting tired, that’s what gives me more fuel and more energy.”
And I’ll spread the love around…
Belal Muhammad is finishing Ramadan today, where he had been fasting for 12-15 hours a day, but continued training daily to help Ignacio Bahamondes prepare for his fight.
Now he’s fighting five rounds in 16 days.
Props to both Belal & Gilbert https://t.co/SvcQSIHXbc
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 21, 2023
While there have been no public guarantees issued by UFC at this time, it’s expected that the winner of Burns vs. Muhammad will earn a Welterweight title shot … after Colby Covington gets his turn against current champion, Leon Edwards.
Muhammad currently has the longest active win streak at 170 pounds, with eight victories spanning back to 2018. Most recently, he handled up-and-coming prospect, Sean Brady, with ease at UFC 280 in Oct. 2022, stopping his previously undefeated opponent in the second round (watch highlights). Burns is 9-2 over the same time period, with his only defeats being a close decision to Khamzat Chimaev and a 2021 loss to then-champion, Kamaru Usman.
UFC 288 goes down inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and is headlined by a Bantamweight title tilt between division champion, Aljamain Sterling, and former Flyweight and Bantamweight roost-ruler, Henry Cejudo, who is returning after a three-year retirement.
For more info on UFC 288 including an up-to-date breakdown of the card, click here.