In a fierce welterweight rematch towards victory, Belal Muhammad redeemed himself by gaining a victory over Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 51. In their previous fight back in 2016, Luque defeated Muhammad by knockout in 79 seconds.
This time around was definitely very different as we had more time to see each fighter’s skills against each other. So in honor of a great redemption by Belal Muhammad, read below for my UFC recap.
Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
UFC Welterweight Main Event Bout
The UFC odds for this matchup seemed fair. Luque defeated Muhammad the first go-around, so he was rightfully favored -180 and Muhammad +150 at your top-rated sportsbooks.
During my breakdown for this fight, I continuously envisioned the growth of Muhammad, but I let the strengths of Luque overshadow those thoughts. Belal Muhammad indeed learned from his previous bout, learned from his opponents over the year, and overall grew his fight IQ.
Recap
Round 1 – As expected, Luque started off as the aggressor, applying pressure on Muhammad. Belal was landing some nice body kicks as well and was consistent. After setting up Luque, Belal switched levels with a double-leg takedown, and now Luque had full guard.
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As Belal was landing some hits, Luque created space to scramble, but Muhammad was on point with his pressure and movements on the ground. Luque got his back against the cage to ween Muhammad off of him. When he finally was able to, Luque was hunting down Muhammad while he circled the cage. The round ends.
Round 2 – Again, Luque is on the hunt, cutting the cage and landing some brutal leg kicks. Belal landed a sharp 1-2 combo but it barely phased Luque.
Belal was light on his feet and was countering accurately. Luque still chipping away with leg kicks – you can tell they were becoming a problem.
They both get into a striking rhythm with each other, mixing in hooks, leg kicks; overall great combinations and countering on both ends. But things were starting to get fishy for Luque as his accuracy seemed to be off.
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This was Muhammad’s chance to, once again, switch levels and he did. He was in full guard and was active with short punches.
Luque adjusted and grabbed underhooks, again using the fence to his advantage but Muhammad was sticking with him. With little time left in the round, Luque managed to get back to his feet; Belal landed a body kick to end the round.
Round 3 – It appears at this point in the fight, Luque was not defending these takedowns. He simply could not let the fight continue like this or else he would lose.
Well, Luque began the third round applying pressure just like in his previous two rounds with Muhammad moving around the outside of the cage for his opening.
Luque then managed to hurt Muhammad with a left hook!! Belal retreated and tried to clinch but Luque broke out and was eager with the pressure. Muhammad grabbed another clinch. This time though, as Luque broke free, Belal managed to land a nice elbow.
Takedown After Takedown
Finally a defended takedown from Luque – things were looking better for Luque in this one. That is until Muhammad landed a takedown again. He was in full guard with less than 2 minutes to go. Again, Luque adjusts and powers his way back to his feet. Muhammad surprisingly looked tired, so Luque corned him and stayed exchanging inside the pocket.
Muhammad was not in a good position at the end of this round. Luque finished the round with a jumping knee.
Round 4 – Luque had momentum coming into this round, and Belal did still seem to be tired. Luque landed a head kick to start the round; he was back chipping at the legs. Something immediately switched in Muhammad because now he has his pep in his step again.
Luque was adding in more feints now in hopes of creating openings to finish Belal. But Belal knew he could not let that happen. Muhammad landed a single-leg and was in full guard again. This time, as Luque was trying to defend, Muhammad was landing heaving hits. They scrambled on the ground; Luque got back up.
Again, Luque is on the hunt. Now, HE is looking tired and Muhammad looking fine. Belal was simply outstriking Luque at this point. Luque had minimal output, he was not countering. Muhammad continued to work Luque, just chipping away.
Final Round
With one round left to go, Luque needed a finish. Now a trend in this fight, Luque began, again, on the hunt. Muhammad aimed for a takedown; Luque stuffed but Muhammad landed an elbow on the break.
Luque was not providing a lot of offense and was just circling the cage. Muhammad was moving a lot, and you could tell Luque did not like this. It was making it very difficult for him to set his footing for the right opening.
Back and forth shooting for a takedown and defending. Finally, Belal landed a takedown and had Luque against the fence. Luque could not escape so they had their backs against the fence; Muhammad holding a rear-waist lock.
Muhammad now had his arm around the neck of Luque, but he didn’t have the correct positioning to finish the fight. Luque got back to his feet with Belal hanging on; Luque broke free and was hunting down Belal. Muhammad finished the round with a beautiful combo.
Belal Muhammad defeated Vicente Luque by unanimous decision.
Closing Remarks and What’s Next?
I love seeing a good redemption fight, especially when you can see the growth of the overall fight IQ of a fighter. Belal knew the threat Luque posed on his feet, so he brought the fight to the ground. Congrats to Belal Muhammad for the victory.
Up next in the UFC on Saturday, April 23, 2022, we have UFC Vegas 52: Amanda Lemos vs. Jessica Andrade.
We have a bunch of great fights, so here is the main card from top to bottom:
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