The UFC president Dana White, has officially confirmed the highly anticipated fight between Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad. Burns comes into the bout with momentum, having secured a unanimous decision victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 on April 8th.
Despite his recent win, Gilbert Burns has expressed a desire for a swift return to the octagon to secure another victory and bolster his case for a shot at the UFC welterweight championship.
‘Durinho’ has recently campaigned for a fight against another highly ranked welterweight contender. In line with this, both Burns and Belal Muhammad have taken to Twitter, expressing their interest in fighting each other.
Regrettably, the co-main event for the upcoming UFC 288 on May 6th has been disrupted as the scheduled lightweight bout between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush has been postponed due to an injury sustained by Oliveira.
The news was revealed earlier this month, leaving fans disappointed and eagerly awaiting updates on the situation.
Following the setback with the Oliveira-Dariush bout, UFC president Dana White indicated that the organization would explore alternative options for the co-main event of UFC 288. Among the contenders for the slot, the Burns-Muhammad matchup emerged as a leading candidate given the circumstances.
HUGE ANNOUNCEMENTS JUST DROPPED! đ¨@DanaWhite just confirmed SIX big fights going down this summer and more đ pic.twitter.com/2trJujb3kB
— UFC (@ufc) April 21, 2023
The UFC has officially confirmed the fight between Burns and Muhammad through its Twitter account. The tweet stated that the welterweight bout between the two fighters would take place over five rounds and serve as the co-main event for UFC 288.
At present, Burns is ranked fifth in the official UFC welterweight rankings, while Muhammad holds the fourth position. Their upcoming showdown is expected to be a significant moment in the UFC welterweight division. With the victor potentially earning a title shot later this year.
Dana White sets the stage for Gilbert to fulfill his dream
During a recent episode of Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Gilbert Burns shared his plan for earning another shot at the UFC welterweight title. Although Burns suffered a third-round TKO loss to then-champion Kamaru Usman in February 2021. He remains determined to earn another chance at the title.
https://youtu.be/9j8R3e-rdgA
Gilbert Burns revealed his plan to earn another shot at the UFC welterweight title during an episode of Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast a few months back.
He outlined his intention to fight three times in 2023, with the goal of securing three stoppage victories. Which he believes will help him earn another title shot. Burns also suggested that several fighters are avoiding fighting him, and he predicted a stoppage win against Neil Magny.
