Belal Muhammad is confident Gilbert Burns will have a hard time dealing with his style at UFC 288.
Muhammad (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) takes on Burns (22-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) in a five-round co-main event May 6 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Unbeaten in his past nine fights, Muhammad has emerged victorious against multiple specialists. He thinks his ability to adjust against different styles will throw Burns off.
“I think that matchup, stylistic-wise, like I fought the best grappler in the division with Demian Maia, I fought the best striker in the division with ‘Wonderboy,’ I fought the guy who knocked me out and his training partner in Luque, and I beat Luque and I fought the new up-and-coming hot star, strongest guy in the division in Sean Brady,” Muhammad said on “The Schaub Show.” “I fought every single style, and I don’t think Gilbert’s fought anybody like me.
“I don’t think Gilbert’s fought anybody that’s gonna push it like me, move like me, adjust like me, make in-fight adjustments like (me). You see me fight backward, you see me fight forward, you see me fight laterally. He doesn’t know what I’m gonna bring to the table. I know what he’s gonna bring to the table, because I’ve been watching him, and he doesn’t really change his game plan or his style up. And this being a short-notice fight, there’s not a lot of strategy that comes in it from his side. It’s like, ‘Well, I’m gonna do this because I’m good at it,’ but I’m better at what you’re good at.”
Muhammad had been lobbying for a title shot but was passed up when UFC president Dana White declared Colby Covington the No. 1 contender. While Muhammad isn’t happy he was leapfrogged, he sensed a feeling of recognition from the fans.
“That was the cool thing about the whole situation,” Muhammad said. “Them giving the shot to Colby, I think it, like, worked out better for me because that’s when the fans started being like, ‘All right, well, bro, that doesn’t make any sense at all. This guy’s on an eight-fight winning streak. He has history with Leon. What else does he need to do?’ Even the haters, I was getting so many messages, like, ‘I hate you, but you deserve the title fight.’”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
Belal Muhammad: Gilbert Burns ‘doesn’t know what I’m gonna bring to the table’ at UFC 288
