Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad trade barbs as weight issues put potential clash in jeopardy
After both fighters seemed to have agreed to fight each other at UFC 288 on May 6 on short notice, it appears as though Gilbert Burns vs. Belal Muhammad could be in jeopardy.
The potential welterweight clash will serve as the co-main event after it was announced that Beneil Dariush vs. Charles Oliveira will be rescheduled to UFC 289 after the former lightweight champion sustained a minor injury. Burns and Muhammad both traded barbs on Twitter as it appears as though weight is an issue in the negotiations.
'Durinho' wrote:
"Guy cannot make weight?"
Guy cannot make weight? 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
'Remember The Name' took offense to the tweet and responded by reminding fans that the #5-ranked welterweight is fresh off his bout with Jorge Masvidal. His weight cut thus won't be as difficult. He alluded to the fight being contested at catchweight, writing:
"Lol u just came off fight camp and made weight last week and u don’t want to do a catchweight with another welterweight that just got off the couch?"
Lol u just came off fight camp and made weight last week and u don’t want to do a catchweight with another welterweight that just got off the couch ?🤷♂️ twitter.com/gilbertdurinho…
It remains to be seen what weight the potential Burns vs. Muhammad bout will be contested at. Both could be one big win away from earning the next welterweight title shot.
Why is Belal Muhammad proposing a catchweight fight with Gilbert Burns?
The UFC seems committed to booking a welterweight clash between Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad for UFC 288. But there is a reason why there is a stall in the negotiations.
A fan commented that if Paul Felder could successfully cut weight in a short period of time, they could fight at welterweight rather than the proposed catchweight. 'Remember The Name' surprisingly responded that Ramadan is a factor in that decision, writing:
"Lol Felder wasn’t in Ramadan"
@bigjay2101 Lol felder wasn’t in Ramadan
After Muhammad tweeted a response to 'Durinho', fans shared their thoughts on the two fighting at either catchweight or 170 lbs. 'Remember The Name' has been fasting during Ramadan, so it's understandable why a weight cut to 170 lbs could be difficult.