UFC President Dana White has announced that UFC 288 on May 6 has a new co-main event in the form of a five round welterweight bout between top ranked contenders Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.
Welterweights WATCH OUT 👀@BullyB170 vs @GilbertDurinho has been confirmed as a 5-round co-main event for #UFC288 on May 6th! pic.twitter.com/qLnc9CNU2E
— UFC (@ufc) April 21, 2023
UFC 288 will be getting a huge boost in the form of a high stakes welterweight bout as company president Dana White confirms that top five contenders Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad will collide in the new co-main event in Newark, New Jersey on May 6. The bout was added to bolster the pay-per-view event following the withdrawal of the lightweight bout between former champion Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, which was confirmed to have been rebooked for roughly a month later on June 10.
The bout is expected to put the winner in line to challenge for the title in their next bout considering the resume of the pair going into the bout. Belal Muhammad (22-3) rides an eight fight win-streak going into the bout with victories over ranked contenders Sean Brady, Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson, and former title challenger Demian Maia. Recently, White expressed that the UFC was looking to book Muhammad against fellow contender Shavkat Rakhmonov but “Remember the Name” responded that he was looking for a higher ranked opponent such as former champion Kamaru Usman.
Gilbert Burns (22-5) enters the bout just weeks after besting former two-time title challenger Jorge Masvidal in a high stakes bout in Miami. This follows the welterweight contender’s throttling performance over perennial contender Neil Many in January and his Fight of the Year candidate against Khamzat Chimaev last year. “Durinho” expressed after the victory over Masvidal that he was not looking to fight again unless it was for the title and went as far to say that he would serve as the backup fighter in case either champion Leon Edwards or Colby Covington couldn’t make the bout.
Notably, Edwards did express that he was looking for a different challenger than Covington and no date has been announced for his next bout. Considering the ranking of both Muhammad and Burns, it is not out of the question that the winner could be granted the title shot later this year on their strength of schedule.
UFC 288 is set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 06. The card is scheduled to be headlined by reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling taking on former two-division champion Henry Cejudo.
