The Pro Take: Belal Muhammad Evens the Score in Rematch Victory

By
Justin Gibbons
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Belal Muhammad UFC Vegas 51
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 15: Belal Muhammad poses on the scale during the UFC weigh-in at UFC APEX on April 15, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Sometimes a rematch comes along that simply makes sense, and is needed to figure out who could potentially be fighting for a shot at a world title. That is what we get with Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad 2 at UFC Vegas 51.

Both men have climbed their way to the top of the welterweight division since their first meeting, and now a former foe stands in their way. To become world champion, both Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad needed to run it back, and show who had developed more.

Both men have seemingly evolved on their quest to become UFC champion since their first fight in 2016. The rematch between Luque and Muhammad could very well be considered a number one contender’s fight, with the winner in striking distance of a title shot — at least were it not for names like Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards being out there.

What the UFC Vegas 51 main event came down to was a back-and-forth fight between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad. It boiled down to the fifth round, with a lot of speculation on how the judges scored the fight through the first four rounds. Belal Muhammad got a takedown in every round and became a puzzle to figure out with his constant movement. When Vicente Luque landed his strikes, they seemed to always score with heavy damage. The fight was left in the hands of the judges however, who felt Belal Muhammad had done enough to get the unanimous decision victory.

PROS GIVE THEIR TAKE

Here is how the pros reacted to the rematch between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad.

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