"It's gonna be a tough fight for Belal" - John McCarthy confident Gilbert Burns is a bad matchup for Muhammad
Gilbert Burns is the No. 4-ranked UFC welterweight, and he may be on a collision course with No. 5-ranked Belal Muhammad. Former MMA referee John McCarthy recently put forth his take on a potential fight between the two top-tier 170-pound fighters.
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is expected to defend his title against No. 2-ranked Leon Edwards. Dana White hinted that the UFC will look to book No. 3-ranked Khamzat Chimaev against No. 1-ranked Colby Covington.
On the Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson noted that Gilbert Burns could possibly be matched up against Belal Muhammad. Co-host John McCarthy concurred and said:
βYou could say Burns and Belal β That could definitely be it. Itβs gonna be a tough fight for Belal.β
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49-46
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Itβs revenge for @bullyb170 as he defeats Vicente Luque on the scorecards! π
#UFCVegas51 https://t.co/a2IW9vKjd4
Josh Thomson noted that Muhammadβs most recent fight β a unanimous decision win over Vicente Luque β was also a tough fight for him. Luque had beaten Muhammad via first-round KO in their first fight at UFC 205 in November 2016.
Their rematch transpired earlier this month and witnessed Muhammad utilize a grappling-heavy approach to neutralize Luque, a dangerous striker. McCarthy responded by insinuating that while Muhammad used his superior grappling to defeat Luque on the ground, he may not be able to do the same against a multi-time BJJ world champion like Gilbert Burns. McCarthy said:
βYeah, the big difference between a guy that wants to be on the ground [Burns] and a guy that doesnβt [Luque]. Again, I thought Belal fought a very smart fight, did great, but heβs gonna have some difficulty with Burns on the ground.β
Watch John McCarthy address a possible Burns-Muhammad matchup in the video below:
Gilbert Burns is open to fights against Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, and Jorge Masvidal next
'Durinho' is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Khamzat Chimaev in a highly-entertaining fight that transpired at UFC 273 on April 9. Burns later appeared on ESPN MMA's show DC & RC and revealed that heβd like a big fight next.
last night!This was WAR π₯
@KChimaev and @GilbertDurinho brought the π₯ last night! https://t.co/LMklFEpYCX
Burns named Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz as possible opponents on his radar. Noting that heβs also willing to face BMF champion Jorge Masvidal, the Brazilian said:
"I want a big fight, you know. Maybe, I know that name is always on the back of my head, it's freaking Nate Diaz. Still got one more fight in the UFC. I can put it on the contract that I'm not gonna shoot that guy that we just going to be on a stand-up. Maybe his brother Nick. I don't know, maybe Masvidal."
Watch the episode below: