Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns Best Bet: Does Burns Have the Edge Over Muhammad at UFC 288?

Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns Best Bet: Does Burns Have the Edge Over Muhammad at UFC 288?

The highly anticipated co-main event for UFC 288 was initially scheduled to feature a lightweight contender's clash between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. However, Oliveira suffered an unexpected injury, leaving fans wondering who would step in to fill the void. Fortunately, the promotion did not disappoint with its choice of replacement, as Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns are set to face each other in a battle that will most likely decide who fights for the welterweight title.

Muhammad vs. Burns Start Time and Where to Watch

• When: May 6, 2023
• Time: 10:00 PM ET
• Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
• Where to Watch: PPV

Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns Prediction

Muhammad and Burns are both on good runs, and this will be an interesting matchup between two of the best welterweights in the world. Burns is a slight -125 favorite at the time of writing, but that could change by fight time.

Gibert Burns enters this fight with a 22-5 record and a 15-5 record in the UFC. Burns is currently on a 9-2 run, with the two losses coming to Kamaru Usman in a title fight and Khamzat Chimaev. Burns is coming off two dominant victories, submitting Neil Magny in the first round and most recently dominating Jorge Masvidal en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Belal Muhammad enters this fight with a 22-3 record and a 13-3 record in the UFC. Muhammad is currently on an 8-fight win streak in the UFC, which has put him in a position to fight for the title next with a win at UFC 288.

Muhammad, a powerful wrestler, prefers to grind his opponents down in the clinch or on the ground, but he's also adept at punching. In his last fight, he stopped the previously unbeaten Sean Brady with a vicious elbow strike that earned him a performance of the night bonus. Burns, on the other hand, is a great fighter from a stylistic standpoint and is perhaps one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu artists at 170 pounds.

Although Burns only fought Masvidal four weeks ago, it remains to be seen how much of an impact that will have on his performance. It's worth noting that both fighters will not have had a proper training camp for this bout, but Burns may be more primed, given his recent outing. Burns will have to put Muhammad on his back to win, based on the fact that Muhammad rarely gets taken down, and Muhammad will be looking for takedowns of his own and has suffocating top control.

If the fight goes deep, Muhammad may have the advantage. Both men have only been five rounds once, but Muhammad looked less tired than Burns did when he went 25 minutes, and Burns also looked exhausted when he fought Khamzat Chimaev. However, it's hard not to favor Burns in this fight.

He appears to be in the form of his life, is the more dangerous finisher, and may be more ready for war after fighting so recently. If it does go a full 25, I am worried for Burns, but I don't think he will need it.

The stakes are high in this fight, and Burns has shown how hungry he is for another chance at the belt by taking this high-level matchup so soon after fighting four weeks ago. Muhammad has been waiting for his shot for a while, and he can finally taste it.

I do think Burns has the advantage in this fight with his power and BJJ, so I will be picking him to take it home and get back to another title fight. Muhammad is a smart fighter, but Burns will be a bit more physical and will have more damage on his strikes. With a low line of -125, I like Burns to continue his way to the No. 1 contender spot.

Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns Pick

Pick: Gilbert Burns ML @ -125 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick

UFC Odds

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