Belal Muhammad and Demian Maia to Fight at UFC 263

Overtime Heroics Editorial

786 days ago

A welterweight bout between Belal Muhammad and Demian Maia has been added to UFC 263 on June 12th. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to release the news. The UFC hasn’t officially announced where Belal Muhammad and Demian Maia will land on the card, although it’s highly likely that it will be on the main card. The promotion is looking to have the flyweight title rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno to headline the event.

A War Is Ahead, Between Belal Muhammad and Demian Maia

Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad (18-3, 9-3 UFC) will compete in his third bout in four months at UFC 263. He was unable to get his wish of a re-match against Leon Edwards after their fight was ruled a no-contest at UFC Vegas 21. This was due to Muhammad being unable to continue because of an accidental eye-poke from Edwards.

Muhammad remains unbeaten still in his last four fights in the UFC, and he bids to climb up the rankings. He currently sits in 13th, whilst his opponent is ranked eighth.

Demian Maia (28-10, 22-10) returns for his 33rd bout in the promotion. A win for the Brazilian would see him tie the record of most wins in the UFC, which is currently held by Donald Cerrone on 23 wins.

Maia was finished by Gilbert Burns in his last fight 13 months ago at UFC Fight Night Brasilia. The bout only lasted two minutes and 34 seconds, with Burns dropping Maia with a stunning left hook, to finish him with ground and pound.

We could be near the end of Maia’s career, with him now at the age of 43. The Brazilian has had a wonderful career and let’s hope it’s not the end. A win for Muhammad would see him back in contention, facing the top-ranked fighters in the division.

With Belal Muhammad and Demian Maia recently added to UFC 263, let’s see what other fights are scheduled so far. However, keep in mind that as fights get added or fall off the card, the order of bouts may get shuffled. This is the current lineup so far:

UFC Flyweight Championship Bout: Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno
Heavyweight Bout: Carlos Felipe vs Jake Collier
Lightweight Bout: Luigi Vendramini vs Fares Ziam
Featherweight Bout: Movsar Evloev vs Hakeem Dawodu
Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Karol Rosa vs Sijara Eubanks
Light Heavyweight Bout: Paul Craig vs Jamahal Hill
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Joanne Calderwood vs Lauren Murphy
Welterweight Bout: Demian Maia vs Belal Muhammad

Who do you see winning between Belal Muhammad and Demian Maia? Let us know your prediction in the comments below!

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