Belal Muhammad hilariously suggests UFC 273 is "scripted"
Belal Muhammad, the No.5-ranked UFC welterweight, recently took a dig at UFC 273 by suggesting that it is scripted.
Muhammad is preparing for his own welterweight matchup against Vicente Luque next weekend and hopes to face the winner of Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev for a title shot. 'Remember the Name' also revealed that the promotion initially offered him a fight against Chimaev and then against Burns before eventually booking him to face Vicente Luque.
On his Twitter handle, Muhammad posted the following:
"Omg I just read the script for ufc 273 wait until you see what happens!!!"
Omg I just read the script for ufc 273 wait until you see what happens!!!
Muhammad pointed out that the changes in matchmaking likely took place because Burns and Luque are good friends and didn’t want to fight one another. He opined that the UFC shuffled the matchups because they didn't want any fighters to stay on the sidelines. He explained that out of the three aforementioned opponents, his first preference was to fight Chimaev in London.
Belal Muhammad thinks Gilbert Burns will triumph over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273
Belal Muhammad is one of the few UFC fighters to pick Gilbert Burns over Khamzat Chimaev for their big UFC 273 showdown.
Chimaev has been favored by most critics, fans and many betting websites as well. The dominant fashion in which 'Borz' finished all his fights in the promotion and the size difference between him and Burns are the main reasons for experts favoring him.
Muhammad, though, thinks Burns has the upper hand over Chimaev. In an interview with ESPN MMA, he stated:
"I think Burns finishes him in the second round. Yeah, I don't think Khamzat's going to come out there shooting on Burns. I think it's going to be more so on the feet. And Burns, he throws bombs. He's not afraid to throw hard. I don't think it's really going to be a wrestling match between either one of them. I don't think either one of them is going to go for the grappling. I think it's going to be all on the feet. And if Khamzat gets a little bit too long or lazy with his jab or cross, Burns could come over the top. Especially with that calf kick too. I think it's going to lead to Khamzat having to switch stances, maybe. And then I don't know how he is at southpaw, but your defense usually you aren't as good as your orthodox stance."
Watch the full ESPN interview with Belal Muhammad below:
Burns and Chimaev will finally lock horns on Saturday at the Jacksonville Arena in Florida.