Belal Muhammad Gets Revenge, Outpoints Vicente Luque in UFC on ESPN 34 Headliner

Belal Muhammad is a much-improved fighter since the first time he and Vicente Luque crossed paths, and it showed on Saturday night.

Muhammad (21-3, 12-3, 1 NC UFC) executed his game plan to near perfection, capturing a unanimous decision against Luque (21-8-1, 14-4) in the UFC on ESPN 34 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. “Remember the Name” received scorecards of 49-46 (twice) and 48-47 from the cageside judges to extend his unbeaten streak to eight — the third-longest in the UFC’s welterweight division.

“This is my hump I had to get over,” Muhammad said. “He knocked me out. He beat me. I had to think about that my whole camp.”

While Luque needed just 79 seconds to finish Muhammad at UFC 205 in November 2016, the rematch was more of a chess match — and the Roufusport product was always one step ahead of his rival. Muhammad utilized back-and-forth movement to confound Luque for the duration of the bout, and he grounded his opponent once in every frame while mixing in timely straight punches and kicks to the body.

Luque did his best work in Round 3, when he made Muhammad stumble with a left hook and rocked his adversary with several more solid lefts throughout the frame. Muhammad maintained his wits, however, and Luque spent most of the fight fruitlessly stalking the Chicago native. Luque sees a four-bout winning streak snapped in defeat, his title hopes dashed in the process.

Evening the score! 😎@BullyB170 makes it 8️⃣ wins in a row. #UFCVegas51 pic.twitter.com/fZGzFIQJiX

— UFC (@ufc) April 17, 2022

Borralho Hands Omargadzhiev First Defeat

Though it didn’t conclude the way he might have liked, Caio Borralho nonetheless ended Gadzhi Omargadzhiev’s unbeaten run in MMA with a technical unanimous decision triumph in the evening’s middleweight co-main event. The Brazilian secured a trio of 29-27 scorecards from the cageside judges after landing an illegal knee in Round 3 that rendered his opponent unable to continue at the 3:56 mark. Borralho had a point deducted by referee Dan Miragliotta, but it didn’t affect the final outcome.

Prior to the accidental foul, Borralho (11-1, 1 NC, 1-0 UFC) controlled the majority of the contest with his grappling. In Round 1, the Combat Club export swept into top position and spent the majority of the frame on his opponent’s back with a body triangle secured. It was more of the same in Round 2, as Omargahzhiev (13-1, 0-1 UFC) surrendered his back after overswinging on a punch, allowing another back take and several minutes of control time.

Borralho was potentially on his way to sweeping the scorecards when he landed a knee to the face of his Russian foe while Omargadzhiev still had a hand on the canvas. After a several minute respite, it became clear that the Omargadzhiev would not regain his bearings and the bout was waved off.

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Fialho Wallops Baeza

Andre Fialho earned his first UFC triumph in style, defeating ex-Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Miguel Baeza via technical knockout in a welterweight feature. The Portugal native ended the contest at the 4:39 mark of Round 1, sending Baeza to his third consecutive defeat.

While both men landing some solid punches on the feet in the opening round, Fialho (15-4, 1-1 UFC) set the stage for the stoppage when he rocked Baeza (10-3, 3-3 UFC) with four consecutive uppercuts in the clinch. The Bellator and PFL veteran then floored an already-wobbly Baeza with a left hook before sealing his triumph with one big hammerfist on the canvas.

Fialho has finished 12 of his professional triumphs by knockout or technical knockout — including 11 inside of a round.

Bueno Silva Has Successful Bantamweight Debut

Mayra Bueno Silva held off a hard-charging Yanan Wu to garner a unanimous decision triumph in her bantamweight debut. All three judges submitted tallies in favor of the Chute Boxe Team Cyborg Representative: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27. Wu (12-5, 1-4 UFC) has lost her last three Octagon appearances.

While Wu maintained a high pace and threw punches in greater volume, Silva (8-3-1, 3-2-1 UFC) authored the majority of the bout’s most significant moments. She mixed heavy punches to the head with calf kicks and knees early, and when Wu assumed top position in Round 2, the Brazilian threatened with a triangle and kimura from her back. Wu continued to press the action in the final frame, but she wasn’t able to seriously threaten Silva to secure the finish she needed.

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Sabatini Dominates Laramie, Wins Sixth Straight

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Pat Sabatini gradually imposed his will against T.J. Laramie en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision in a featherweight tilt. All three judges saw the fight 30-26 in favor of Sabatini (17-3, 4-0 UFC), who is tied for the fourth-longest active winning streak in the UFC at 145 pounds.

Laramie held his own in grappling exchanges early, but Sabatini turned the tide with a liver kick and guillotine attempt late in Round 1. From there, the Renzo Gracie Philly product controlled the majority of the contest with his grappling, including a dominant Round 2 that saw Sabatini attach himself to Laramie’s back and pound away with punches to the head while hunting for openings to apply a rear-naked choke. Sabatini has won his last six professional outings overall.

Lazzez Outduels Loosa

Mounir Lazzez utilized a versatile striking arsenal to take a unanimous verdict over short-notice foe Ange Loosa in a welterweight showcase. The Tunisian fighter received a trio of 30-27 scorecards from the cageside judges to win for the fourth time in his last five professional outings.

Lazzez (11-2, 2-1 UFC) kept Loosa (8-3, 0-1 UFC) off-balance with a variety of strikes including jabs, standing elbows, body shots and a toolbox of kicks in the early going. Loosa, who was a replacement for Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, had some success landing his right hand when he was able to initiate on the feet, but most of the standup exchanges belonged to Lazzez. “The Sniper” put a lasting stamp on the victory with a rapid-fire combination late in the final round.

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