Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad will face off in a welterweight match at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey on May 6, 2023. The five-round match will serve as the chief support for the main event featuring UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo.
Burns and Muhammad were shifted into a contender bout after Charles Olivera suffered an injury and was unable to fight Beneil Dariush as previously scheduled. Instead, Olivera and Dariush will meet on June 10 at UFC 289 in Vancouver.
Burns enters next month’s match less than a month removed from his last outing. On April 8, 2023, he beat Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision in Miami, Florida at UFC 287. He is 9-2 in his last 11 matches, including victories over Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson.
Muhammad will step into the cage with a record of 22-3 with one no-contest. Unlike Burns, he has not fought in 2023. His last outing was a second-round knockout of Sean Brady. He is 12-2 in his last 14 matches and is looking to position himself for a shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards.
