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Gilbert Burns weighed in on the hate towards Belal Muhammad in the leadup to and following their fight at UFC 288.
Muhammad defeated Burns via unanimous decision to earn the next welterweight title shot against the winner of the upcoming title fight between Colby Covington and champion Leon Edwards. 'Durinho' took to Twitter and shared a picture along with a message directed to fans to end their hatred towards the welterweight contender.
He wrote:
"Stop the hate and start to appreciate! #ufc288"
It was an impressive win, especially considering that Muhammad appeared to have also been fighting with an ankle injury yet still managed to make adjustments and avoid his injury being exploited. The former UFC title challenger also congratulated 'Remember The Name' on the win and wished him well in his quest to become welterweight champion, writing:
"Shoutout to @bullyb170 great win! Wish you nothing but the best, go get the title!"
Burns appeared to have injured his shoulder following his takedown attempt in the first round, which noticeably affected his performance. 'Remember The Name' put in a dominant performance and finally secured a title shot after extending his winning streak to nine straight wins.
Belal Muhammad embraces being the villain in New Jersey
During the pre-fight press conference and then again during his post-fight interview, Belal Muhammad showed that he isn't fazed by the crowd booing him and instead embraced being the villain.
While speaking to Joe Rogan following his unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 288, 'Remember The Name' reacted to the boos from the fans in attendance and fired back to give them more of a reason to boo him.
He said:
"My first thoughts are New Jersey, you suck. Second thoughts, Leon [Edwards] and Colby [Covington], I'm coming for both of you guys." [2:01 - 2:08]
The 35-year-old will likely have to wait for quite some time, maybe even until early 2024 for his title shot as it appears as though Edwards vs. Covington will be taking place later this year rather than the London event scheduled for July.
