April 17, (THEWILL) – Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad, fought in a Welterweight bout at UFC Vegas 51, inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday night and Muhammad won by decision in a very intelligent battle.
Luque put the pressure on Muhammad right away, walking him down and lining up kicks. Muhammad circled the cage, attempting to retaliate with a jab before unleashing a pair of powerful body kicks from afar.
Luque countered with some shots of his own, but with two minutes left in the round, Muhammad scored a well-timed double leg.
The latter, who had taken up full guard, began to chip away at his opponent with strikes. Luque moved to scramble after a minute of control, giving up his back in the process. Luque was able to escape by slipping into the clinch, and the round was over quickly.
Luque switched to a flurry of jabs and low kicks, putting pressure on his opponent. In response, Muhammad delivered a powerful 1-2 down the centre and picked his moments, as the two continued to trade short exchanges. Luque’s calf kicks were becoming more consistent, and he was also scoring hard to the body.
In the second half of the round, Muhammad scored a second double leg and landed Luque inside the guard once more as he began firing short shots. Luque tried to stand again by turning his back, and this time it worked! Before the bell, Muhammad unleashed a powerful body kick.
Early in the third round, Luque unleashed a big left hook that wobbled Muhammad’s knees. Luque then landed a series of body blows and a strong left hook. He ratcheted up the tempo, hitting a barrage of punches and pushing Muhammad to panic wrestling.
Luque blocked Muhammad’s early shots, but a well-timed double leg trip put Muhammad back in the lead. Luque, on the other hand, was soon back on his feet this time, and he hit some solid shots before time ran out.
Luque started the fourth with aggression, low kicks, and left hand blows, and the pattern continued for a while. Muhammad was on his back foot, but he timed another double leg perfectly to take first place. Luque slid underneath Muhammad and expertly evade grip as Muhammad went into side control.
Returning to their feet, both men delivered some powerful punches, with Luque having the upper hand in shots landed in the fourth round. In the fifth, Luque came out with a sense of urgency, but Muhammad landed first. Muhammad survived a submission attempt by landing another takedown after a couple of missed blows.
Muhammad held his opponent for a long time along the cage after securing one hook. Luque had escaped with less than a minute to spare, and he needed to make a theatrical exit.
It was not to be. Muhammad received a unanimous decision victory from all three judges (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) after successfully executing his game plan to avoid Luque’s best strokes and maintain control of the Brazilian for extended periods of time.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
