Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns Betting Prediction
A very rare 5-round co-main event bout is coming to the UFC this weekend when top welterweight contenders Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns meet each other in the octagon. Both fighters are ranked in the top 5 of the division, and have received a promise from UFC president Dana White that the winner of this fight will get a title shot in their next UFC fight.
Read further for a betting preview and a Muhammad vs Burns prediction ahead of this weekend’s event in Newark, New Jersey at UFC 288.
Belal Muhammad vs Gilbert Burns
Location of the fight: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey.
Date and Time: Saturday, May 6. 10:00 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN+
Muhammad is coming off a big win against the undefeated Sean Brady, last October in Abu Dhabi.
Burns is fresh off an impressive victory over Jorge Masvidal in Miami last month.
Muhammad has a 22-3 professional MMA record, with a UFC record of 13-3 so far as he is looking for his elusive first title shot. He is currently riding a 4-fight winning streak going into the biggest fight of his life.
The 34-year-old Chicago native has put together an impressive statistical career in the UFC, with an average of 4.47 significant strikes landed per minute, while only absorbing 3.68. The best part of his game is wrestling, where he holds a 92% takedown defense and an average of 2.19 takedowns per 15 minutes spent in the octagon.
Burns has turned into a fan-favorite at this point of his career; as he is taking the biggest and best fights possible to propel himself into a title shot. Burns has a lot of power in his hands, and he is a world-class BJJ fighter with world championships at the ADCC event.
“Durinho” also loves to grapple in the octagon, averaging 2.16 takedowns landed per 15 minutes, with 9 career submission victories.
No injuries have been reported to the UFC or New Jersey Athletic Commission.
Before getting to your UFC predictions, you have to break down the betting odds and preview how you can bet on this fight.
Gilbert Burns is the slight betting favorite, with odds at -125 as fight week is winding down. Muhammad is at +105 at most sportsbooks. This is a surprisingly close betting line for the circumstances of this weekend.
Those interesting circumstances include a short-notice, 5-round fight, where one fighter is coming off of Ramadan, which is a Muslim religious period of time in which a practicing Muslim needs to fast from food and drink while the sun is out. Can you imagine training for a fight without being able to intake anything for your body during the day?
Burns is coming off a fight less than a month ago. Will he be in great shape? Or will the Brazilian be too worn down to survive 25 minutes with a tough wrestler like Muhammad. Make sure you take a look at all the available prop bets for this one before you get to your Muhammad vs Burns prediction.
As fight week is winding down and UFC 288 is only a day or so away, this co-main event gets tougher to predict.
Muhammad is coming off Ramadan, and has a clear disadvantage in the striking department when he steps into the octagon with Burns. Burns is dangerous on the ground, but Muhammad is one of the best wrestlers on the UFC roster.
The final Muhammad vs Burns prediction is that Burns will get his hand raised on Saturday night in New Jersey. His pressure, power, and durability will be too much for Muhammad over the full 25 minutes.
- The Burns moneyline is perfect for a betting pick this weekend.
This fight is going to be so unpredictable that you shouldn’t try to do too much and stick with the moneyline pick for this one.
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