Belal Muhammad beat Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision in the UFC 288 co-main event. Burns and Belal agreed to face each other on short notice over the promise of a title fight. Moreover, the welterweights agreed to a five-round co-main event.

Burns was coming fresh off a win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 in April. He had also beaten Neil Magny at UFC 283 in January. The Brazilian has been having a stellar run since his split decision loss against Khamzat Chimaev in 2022. He called for a title shot after the win against ‘Gamebred.’

34-year-old Belal came into UFC 288 on an 8-fight win streak. He won his last outing via TKO against Sean Brady at UFC 280. ‘Remember The Name’ had a chip on his shoulder after not being a priority for a title shot, despite his impressive run of form.

Both fighters cashed in on the opportunity to get a title shot by taking this short-notice co-main event.

Fans react to Burns vs. Muhammad at UFC 288

The UFC 288 co-main was a slugfest as advertised. Burns and Muhammad went after each other from the first bell. Belal opened strong in the initial rounds, with his kicks finding their target time after time. ‘Durinho’ responded with some counters of his own, but ‘Bully B’ established and maintained his dominance.

However, things turned a bit stale after a seemingly injured Burns could not put his foot down on the gas for the remaining rounds. Belal capitalized on the opportunity and earned himself a unanimous decision after five rounds.

“Khamzat Chimaev? This does not look like the same guy,” said Joe Rogan after seeing the timid approach from Burns during the fight.

The fight became lackluster in the later rounds and that did not sit well with a lot of fans and pros. They took to Twitter to vent their frustrations.

What did you think of that co-main event? What do you make of Burns’ performance?

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Let us know in the comments below.