Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad‘s recently confirmed bout has been the talk of the town of late. The fight which will serve as the co-main bout at UFC 288 will see the two welterweights battle it out in what could turn out to be a title contender fight for the division.

As we head into the event, Burns, 36, while speaking to ‘Submission Radio’, opened up about the discussions that led to the fight and expressed his views on facing another top contender in Muhammad. While doing so, the Brazilian also sent out a message to his opponent as he shut down talks of Muhammad facing a difficult weight cut due to Ramadan.

Gilbert Burns addresses the Belal Muhammad fight

Talking about the bumpy talks that took place before the fight date was settled, ‘Durinho’ remarked that it was Muhammad who first asked for a fight at middleweight. Although he claimed to understand the difficulties of cutting weight and fighting during Ramadan, Burns went on to ask his opponent to stop making excuses despite that.

“I get it you’re Muslim, you’re doing Ramadan but along the same way, I don’t care, I’m not Muslim. You do whatever you want, you know. I respect, it’s not that I’m talking sh*t. You do whatever you have to do but don’t ask for excuses,” he stated.

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For the fifth-ranked welterweight, it all comes down to his desire to fight for the welterweight title; and fighting in a different division didn’t make too much sense for the Brazilian. Pointing out the brutal nature of the fight game, Burns then remarked that he had no obligation to agree to Muhammad’s request to fight at middleweight.

 “You’re not my friend. We’re going to a war. Why should I help you and give you anything? I don’t care if you cannot make weight,” he said.

Reiterating his desire to fight for UFC gold, the Brazilian once again emphasized the importance of the fight as he urged Muhammad to make weight successfully.

“If you really want to fight, it’s going to be for number one contender. Just make weight.”

Burns vs Muhammad to co-headline UFC 288

After the disappointing news that the Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush fight won’t be going ahead owing to an injury to the former lightweight champ, UFC 288 saw Burns and Muhammad getting announced barely a couple of weeks away from the event.

For fans, this news came as a sweet surprise after the initial disappointment that came from the cancellation of the original co-main bout. With this opportunity, both Burns and Muhammad will be aiming to get the spotlight on themselves in what is an extremely entertaining card.

A win here could mean a title shot for either of them, although another individual in the form of Colby Covington could also play spoilsport in the future.

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What do you think of Burns’s statement? Will the winner earn a shot at the title? Let us know in the comment section below.

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