UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Muhammad II First Look, Betting Picks, Odds and Prediction (Archive)
The UFC returns to our screens for another talent-stacked fight card from the Apex Center in Las Vegas. Top-ranked welterweight contenders Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad will meet in the center of the octagon for next weekend’s main event. Read on for our complete betting guide taking a first look at Luque and Muhammad, including updated UFC odds and our free expert UFC betting picks, predictions, and analysis.
Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
UFC Welterweight Main Event Bout
Saturday, April 16, 2022 – 10:05 PM EDT at UFC Apex Center
Vicente Luque (21-7-1)
Following his stint on The Ultimate Fighter Season 21, Brazilian stand out mixed martial artist Vicente Luque stormed through the UFC welterweight division to become one of the most reputable competitors in the company today.
Since his official debut, a 13-3 UFC record is the proof required that leaves zero doubt surrounding his skillset. Training with Sandford MMA amongst some of the world's most elite fighters, aged just 30-years-old, we’re witnessing him enter the prime fighting years of his career.
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With a lengthy background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, many would believe Luque’s black belt has assisted his career success the most. However, a Luque highlight reel will soon give you an insight into the devastating fists, knees, kicks, and elbows that have delivered 8 stoppages via TKO/KO.
Vicente Luque MMA Accomplishments
- UFC Fight of the Night (Four times)
- UFC Performance of the Night (Four times)
- Second most finishes in UFC welterweight division history (13)
Vicente Luque Best Available Odds: (-164) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad (20-3-0)
Belal Muhammad has lived up to his nickname, as most MMA fans will remember the name. With a significant 6-fight win streak alongside his social media interactions and online activity, Belal has become a fan favorite and will look to avenge one of the few losses on his record next weekend.
Much like his opponent at UFC Vegas 51, Belal has been almost unstoppable since his promotional debut in 2016. Throughout 15 UFC bouts, he’s lost just 3 of those meetings and implemented dominance on most of the opposition.
Belal Muhammad MMA Accomplishments
- UFC Performance of the Night (One time)
- UFC Fight of the Night (One time)
- Titan FC Welterweight Champion (One time)
Belal Muhammad Available Odds: (+144) at BetOnline
Luque Style and How Can Luque Defeat Muhammad?
Luque is an exceptional martial artist in all facets of the game. The downside would be his reckless abandonment when throwing his strikes with minimal head movement. Still, his power and the fluid combinations will overwhelm Belal as they did during the first encounter.
Luque will be expecting Belal to wrestle because it wouldn’t be wise to stand and bang with the Brazilian. The 1-2 combinations of Belal won’t present much danger to Luque, and a heavy-footed stance will leave the vicious leg kicks of the Brazilian open all night long.
Should Belal force the grappling exchanges, this is another area where Luque can capitalize. Back-to-back D’Arce choke victories on Luque’s record should be on the mind of Belal; there’s no position where Luque can’t finish this fight.
Muhammad's Fight Style and How Can Muhammad Defeat Luque?
Belal stems from a background in wrestling, a background that is evident in most of his UFC fights to date. However, his striking ability has undoubtedly stepped up a level or two whilst training at Roufus Sports Academy.
Belal uses a lot of faints and prefers to push forward on his feet; pushing the pace with his jabs; he keeps his boxing very fundamental. He rarely utilizes kicks but tends to keep a striking engagement at range, where he can sometimes overreach.
With that said, grappling is where Belal has found most of his in-octagon success. Opponents with a low base or low hands will be met with single legs against the fence that can sometimes transition into double legs to secure the takedowns.
The problem is that I struggle to envision a perfect game plan for Belal. Stylistically, he will need powerful strikes to prevent Luque from pressing the pace. Cardio favors Belal, and perhaps he can find a late finish on a tired Luque, but it could be a long night outside of that.
Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad II Betting Prediction and UFC Vegas 51 Odds
The available odds at Bookmakers Review favor Luque, and I understand why. Luque has more areas to finish the fight, he’s the complete martial artist, and his skill set harbors much more depth than Belal’s one-dimensional wrestling approach.
UFC Pick: Luque to Win (-164) [1..64u returns 1u profit] at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.