Prediction for the fight Vicente Luque vs Belal Muhammad

In the main event of UFC on ESPN on April 16, UFC fans will get to know potential contender Kamaru Usman. Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad will face each other to determine who deserves to compete in the race for the title and who should forget about the belt. Belal will look to avenge a long-standing defeat at the hands of the Brazilian, while for Luque, defeating Muhammad will bring him closer to a fight with Usman. We have prepared a forecast for you and have identified a favorite.

• Vicente Luque vs Belal Muhammad;
• Vicente Luque;
• Belal Muhammad;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Vicente Luque vs Belal Muhammad

Vicente Luque

Vicente Luque is one of the UFC welterweights in contention for a title fight against Kamaru Usman, with whom, by the way, Vicente previously trained in the same camp. Now Luke trains side by side with Gilbert Burns at the Sanford MMA camp. Vicente is on a streak of 4 victories in a row, but it cannot be said that those fighters whom Vicente beat lead to a title fight. Belal for Luke will be the fighter that will allow the fighter to truly declare himself as a contender for the title.

Strengths

Vicente started his martial arts career with Muay Thai and Kickboxing. This base is perfectly adapted to Luca for performances in the UFC. Good endurance, the ability to work serially, on waste - all this complements the style of a fighter in the rack. Vicente's percussion style does not have any distinctive features. Rather, Luke works with efficiency in mind and getting the most out of every action. Vicente's last two defeats were unanimous decisions to skilled strikers. Edwards and Thompson. But against the backdrop of the vast majority of welterweight fighters, Luke has good kickboxing technique.

The 11 knockouts in the Brazilian's career show that Vicente is focused on more than just scoring on the stand. He is always looking for the finish line. In the UFC, the fighter has as many as 8 finishes, with the rise of opposition, Luque did not lose his ability to turn off the lights to his opponents. By the way, in his first fight with Muhammad Vicente won by knockout. Perhaps Luke will try to repeat his success of 7 years ago in a fight with an old opponent.

Throughout his career, Vicente has been trying to develop himself as a versatile fighter. The high level of percussion skills is complemented by a Brazilian black belt in jiu-jitsu. 8 submission victories in his professional career speaks of the Brazilian's serious skills on the ground, which he actively applies and practices. Michael Chiesa, who was a good jitter himself, was hit by Luke on the ground and was strangled. And former champion Tyron Woodley was unable to withstand Vicente on the ground and was also strangled.

Weaknesses

From Vicente's pluses comes his minus. Oddly enough, but the versatility of Vicente is a big disadvantage of the Brazilian in battles with masters of percussion or jiu-jitsu masters. Fighters who are vastly superior to Vicente in terms of skill in some particular aspect of the fight are simply crushing Vicente with their strong play. Be it a stand up fight or a ground fight. Luke can do everything, but up to a certain level, i.е. he cannot compete with the best in individual aspects of the fight.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Vicente Luca is 30 years old, has a lot of UFC experience, is on a good winning streak and is overwhelmed with title race ambitions. His training partner Gilbert Burns has already fought for the title, but lost to Camaru, Vicente himself, who has never fought for the title, is trying with all his might to get to the fight for the belt. And given how young Vicente is relative to the champion and all the top contenders, he has a chance to get to the title, however, it is unlikely that the Brazilian will be able to win it.

Belal Muhammad

Belal, an American-born but ethnic Palestinian, has been fighting for the UFC for about 7 years and has only recently made headlines in mixed martial arts. Belal began to gain some recognition after the fight with Edwards, which, alas, was canceled due to the British hitting Muhammad in the eye. Since that fight, Muhammad has managed to put together two victories against Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia. And before the fight with Leon, Belal was on a series of 4 victories in a row. Belal is the 5th number of the rating, in the battle he will be opposed by the 4th number, Vicente Luca. Potentially, this fight will reveal one of the main contenders for the UFC title.

Strengths

Belal does not have a pronounced base in mixed martial arts, however, by the style and manner of fighting, it becomes clear that Belal prefers wrestling. But his struggle is not aimed at the finish line, but at keeping on the ground, takedowns and control. Of the 20 victories in his career, Belal has only 1 submission finish. At UFC 242, Belal strangled Takashi Sato.

Muhammad's style is tight wrestling, controlling the opponent on the ground and winning by decision. This style obliges the fighter to have good stamina, which Muhammad possesses. 15 victories out of 20 were won by decision, in most of these fights Belal fought actively, which shows him as a fairly hardy fighter.

Weaknesses

Looking at Belal's record, a small number of wins by finishes catches the eye. Yes, Belal's style does not imply a finish, but such a gap makes Belal's style vulnerable. The Palestinian needs to control the course of the fight in order not to lose the victory from his hands, but if the fight does not go according to plan, and only the finish can save the position of Muhammad, his skills in jiu-jitsu and striking technique do not allow Belal to quickly and efficiently complete the fight ahead of schedule.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Belal is 3 years older than his opponent, Vicente. The age of the Palestinian, unfortunately, will not allow him to get to the title, let alone take the belt for himself. Muhammad started performing at the age of 24, which is quite late, and Belal got into the UFC at 28, it cannot be said that this is a critical age, but given the skills of the fighter, his media exposure and promotion in the ratings, Belal's career is slowly coming to an end. The fighter is already 33, and if Muhammad is still at the peak of his abilities, then a decline in skills and physics will not be avoided in the near future.

Comparative analysis

Vicente's ability to finish his opponents gives him a huge advantage in the upcoming fight. Belal will most likely start the fight with grappling and takedown attempts, at a time when Luca can threaten Muhammad in the stand, and when the Palestinian tries to bring the Brazilian to the ground, it is important for Luca to start threatening with submissions. Stand-up fighting is the perfect lineup for Vicente. His powerful blows are able to neutralize Belal. If the fight takes place on Vicente's ground, it is important to stay active, change positions, make Belal move, depleting his stamina. Vicente last lost by submission as much as 9 years ago, since then the fighter has certainly improved his game on the ground, especially having such a sparring partner as Gilbert Burns, who is a multiple jiu-jitsu champion in various versions. Belal, as in all his fights, There is only one chance to win - the decision of the judges. In his fight against Woodley, Vicente showed the skills of his wrestling, which he is actively developing. And if Belal has a slight advantage in the fight on the stand, then Vicente will be extremely dangerous for him on the ground.

Vicente Luque vs Belal Muhammad Fight Prediction

Most likely, we are waiting for the finish line from Vicente. After the 3rd round, Belal will get tired of the fight, and Muhammad is unlikely to be able to fight all 5 rounds. After the equator of the fight, the advantage will go more and more into the hands of Vicente, who will break Belal in the standing position, where he will eventually finish, knocking him out. Belal's stance skills are an extremely vulnerable aspect of the Palestinian's game, and his style does not allow for variability. Download 1xbet to your phone and place a bet on the favorite!