MIAMI – [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] likes [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]’s chances to upset [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] at UFC 287.
Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) meets Burns (21-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at Kaseya Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
According to DraftKings, Masvidal is a +360 underdog. But stylistically, Muhammad sees him having success against Burns.
“Gilbert is not that bad of a matchup for him,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “I think Gilbert’s wrestling isn’t as good as Colby’s or Kamaru’s. His ground game is obviously good, but Masvidal fought Demian Maia in his prime and he didn’t get tapped out. He didn’t get submitted. So, I think if he plays it safe and Gilbert gets emotional, and it becomes just a straight-up striking match, I think Masvidal has a chance.
“Honestly, I’ve got Masvidal winning. I think Masvidal will beat him. Burns, his last fight was against Neil Magny and he just like walked through him. I think the level of competition that Masvidal has come from fighting and I think taking that time off, you get a little bit of reset and we saw that last time.”
Not only does Muhammad (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) pick Masvidal to win, he sees him getting the finish.
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“I do think it will be a finish,” Muhammad added. “I think that Gilbert Burns, we’ve seen him get emotional in there, we’ve seen him just make it a striking match, we’ve seen him not fight smart. I think that he does gas a lot. Masvidal does have a good gas tank, I think his last fight he fought really emotional and he almost finished Colby in the third or fourth round with a hook. So, I think he’ll be all right.”
Muhammad himself feels snubbed out of a title shot, and was baffled to see Dana White dub Colby Covington as the No. 1 contender. Although Masvidal is looking to snap a three-fight losing skid, Muhammad wouldn’t be surprised to see “Gamebred” leapfrog Covington with a win over Burns.
“I do think if Masvidal does have a nice performance this weekend and a big win, I’m sure he’ll skip the line and pop in front of Colby,” Muhammad said. “This whole card is around Masvidal, Miami, it’s in his town. The drama with him and Leon (Edwards), I think if he does come out here and get a big finish – and I think he can. I think a lot of people are just underestimating him, I think he could win this fight. He’s great on the mic, cuts a great promo. There’s really no backstory with Colby and Leon.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.