This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 51, we saw a battle between two of the best welterweights in the world. Sixth ranked Belal Muhammad (21-3, 1 NC) was looking to avenge a loss against fifth ranked Vicente Luque (21-8-1).
Both men were looking to take another step towards a UFC title shot on Saturday night. When they first fought back in 2016, Vicente Luque was able to score a first round knockout. However, it was evident from the opening bell that this was not the same Belal Muhammad that lost six years ago.
Luque opened the first round well with decent pressure and looked to work the jab. However, it was Belal Muhammad who was being more effective with his footwork on the outside and was doing a decent job of landing shots.
Then, Muhammad was able to land the takedown which was a story of the fight. In the majority of rounds at UFC Vegas 51, Muhammad was able to get Luque to the mat which is something previous opponents have struggled with.
Luque tried to come on strong in the final round, but Muhammad was holding his own in the striking. In fact, you could say he was even getting the better of the exchanges. In the end, all three judges awarded the decision win to Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 51.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 51?
This was a massive win for Belal Muhammad who moved to 7-0, 1 NC in his last eight fights. The lone no contest came against top contender Leon Edwards when Muhammad was accidentally poked in the eye in their main event fight.
Without a doubt, this was the biggest win of Muhammad’s UFC career. After the fight was over, there was one name on the mind of Muhammad. That name was former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington.
While that’s the fight Muhammad wants, I’m not sure that’s the fight the UFC will give him. The current plan if all goes well is to have Covington face off with Khamzat Chimaev in a title eliminator. Leon Edwards is going to be fighting Kamaru Usman for the title sometime this summer.
With that, everyone but one man is booked in front of Muhammad. That one man is former title challenger and best friend to Vicente Luque, Gilbert Burns. Burns just fought Chimaev at UFC 273 and lost a very close decision.
Some believe that Burns won the fight and his stock didn’t take a single hit. To me, this is the perfect fight for Belal Muhammad and I think it’s the fight that will get booked next.