Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad will face off in the co-main event at UFC 288, with both fighters having mutual respect for each other despite their past disputes over rankings.
Not long ago, Gilbert Burns was calling out Belal Muhammad for a fight after Muhammad surpassed him in the UFC rankings. The Brazilian fighter aimed to make a charge back to title contention but was confused about how Muhammad managed to leapfrog him in the rankings by defeating a lower-ranked fighter, Sean Brady. Burns voiced his opinion loudly on social media and in interviews. “That bugged me a little bit that he passed me in the rankings,” Burns explained on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “He never beat me, he beat Sean Brady, very tough guy, too. It’s not a fact, it’s only my opinion. I don’t think he should have passed me in the rankings, but he did pass [me].”
Months later, Burns decided to take a new approach to his career, focusing on being a positive role model for his kids and students while letting go of grudges. He approached Muhammad after his fight at UFC 287 to bury the hatchet, while still making it clear that they could face each other in the cage in the future. “I don’t have any problems with him,” Burns said. “We had a good conversation. We might fight, don’t get me wrong, but the kind of bad things I’ve been saying about you, I’m not going to say anymore.”
Fate intervened, and Burns ended up booking a short-notice fight against Muhammad, now serving as the co-main event at UFC 288. The five-round fight could easily put the winner in line for a title shot, which has always been Burns’ main goal. Although he admits to not being the biggest fan of Muhammad or his demeanor, the two fighters can still respect each other before, during, and after their fight on Saturday. “A lot of guys I like for real. Like Robert Whittaker, I just like the personality. Belal, I don’t like that much, but I respect the guy very much. He’s a great fighter. He’s been on a race for the title shot, a good win streak, so I have a lot of respect for the guy.”
Burns gives credit to Muhammad’s recent win streak, particularly for his knockout against Brady and a unanimous decision victory against his friend and teammate, Vicente Luque. Burns had those fights on his radar even before they were scheduled to clash. Despite his focus on Muhammad at UFC 288, Burns won’t lose sight of the bigger picture in the welterweight division. He has conceded that Colby Covington will get the opportunity to compete for UFC gold ahead of him, but a jaw-dropping performance against Muhammad could shift the narrative in his favor. “The goal is to finish the guy. Go out there, finish Belal Muhammad impressively and put the doubt [in the minds] of Dana [White] and the fans and the media and everybody and try to earn the title shot. That’s the goal.”