Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Surging welterweight contender Belal Muhammad captured his first career submission victory earlier today (Sat., Sept. 7, 2019) at UFC 242 from inside The Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, when he finished Takashi Sato via rear-naked choke in the third round.
While Muhammad came out firing and caught Sato multiple times in the first round, Sato was able to win back some points in the second and eventually took Muhammad down with a slamming takedown. In the third round, Muhammad was able to flip the script, get Sato to the ground, and secure back control. After some hand fighting “Remember the Name” locked his arms under Sato’s chin and secured the submission finish.
Check out the stoppage above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Muhammad improves his UFC record to 7-3, which is very impressive considering those bouts have all taken place at 170 pounds, and locks down his first ever win by way of submission. The 31-year-old veteran called out fellow welterweight mainstay Li Jingliang during his post-fight interview for a showdown later this year so we’ll see if UFC books that contest and gives fight fans another banger.
For complete UFC 242 results and coverage click here.