UFC 288 takes place Saturday night, headlined by Aljamain Sterling defending the bantamweight championship against Henry Cejudo. While the card is centered around that, another must-see fight is the welterweight bout pitting Gilbert Burns against Belal Muhammad.
Burns (22-5) is on a two-fight win streak, most recently defeating Jorge Masvidal last month at UFC 287. That marked his third win in four fights, inching closer to his first title shot since losing to Kamaru Usman in February of 2021. Burns had rattled Usman that fight, yet strayed from the game plan and was ultimately finished by Usman. He saw similarities in his fight against Masvidal, with the primary difference being that he remained discipline.
“I was doing well in that fight against Usman, but I got too emotional and it cost me,” says Burns. “I got overexcited and didn’t stick with the plan. I had similar success against Jorge, but I stuck to the game plan and kept control of myself. Jorge is dangerous in the later rounds, but I didn’t let him get me. I would have liked a finish, but it was a good win.”
