Muhammad batters Burns to advance in welterweight title picture

Belal Muhammad has been calling for a shot at the UFC welterweight title for ages. He might have just punched his ticket to one with another blowout victory.

Muhammad defeated Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) in the UFC 288 co-main event Saturday night in Newark, New Jersey.

UFC president Dana White said earlier this week that the winner of Muhammad-Burns would go on to face either Leon Edwards or Colby Covington for the belt. Edwards-Covington is expected to be the next title fight, but no date has been set.

Muhammad and Burns agreed to square off in Saturday's co-headliner on three weeks' notice. The UFC booked the fight following the cancellation of Charles Oliveira versus Beneil Dariush.

Muhammad used his striking to outwork Burns over the course of five rounds. He connected several times with a left body kick and controlled the pace of the fight.

Burns got Muhammad's attention with a few right hands, but an injury seemed to hamper his performance. "Durinho" appeared to tell his corner after the third round that he couldn't throw his left arm. He looked dejected in the latter part of the contest and struggled to put together much offense down the stretch.

With the victory, Muhammad is now riding a five-fight winning streak and is unbeaten in 10 straight fights. Muhammad hasn't fallen short since January 2019.

Burns saw his two-fight winning streak end. This was his second fight in the span of a month and third this year. He dominated Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 in April and submitted Neil Magny in January.