UFC 288 live blog: Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns

This is the UFC 288 live blog for Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns, the welterweight co-main event on Saturday in New Jersey.

The dark horse of the welterweight division, Muhammad is unbeaten since 2019 with eight wins and one no-contest against current champion Leon Edwards. But despite his impressive résumé, Muhammad has been unable to make noise as a true title contender for one reason or another. Now, “Remember the Name” has his opportunity as he steps in to face a former title challenger in a bout that is being billed as a No. 1 Contender matchup.

A former BJJ world champion, Burns nearly became a UFC champion when he challenged Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Despite hurting Usman early, Burns was unable to close the show and ultimately lost by knockout in the third round. Since then, Burns has put together a 3-1 record, with the lone loss being a Fight of the Year contender against Khamzat Chimaev. His third win of 2023 could end up getting him another shot at UFC gold.

Check out the UFC 288 co-main event live blog below.