UFC Vegas 51: Luque vs Muhammad 2 – Take a look at the results and also the ones who received the bonus
Belal Muhammad and Vicente Luque clashed at the UFC Vegas 51 main event at the Apex Centre in Las Vegas. This was their rematch after their first encounter at UFC 205, when Luque knocked out Belal in the first round. The card absolutely delivered, with some fantastic performances, capped off by an extreme showcase of high-level fighting in the main event.
In the main event, Muhammad showed the world the improvements he has made in his game and the development he’s had as a martial artist since his loss at UFC 205. Muhammad has been on a roll and won a unanimous decision over the #5 ranked, Vicente Luque.
The fight began with Luque immediately taking the center of the octagon trying to establish octagon control, and overwhelm Belal with his striking reminiscent of what transpired at UFC 205. However, Muhammad had levelled up since then and came in completely aware of the threat his opponent posed. Belal used a lot of lateral movements when his back was against the cage, which did not give the Brazilian any opportunity to settle and land his usual combinations.
What Muhammad also did efficiently in the first two rounds was move laterally, and just when Luque would expect him to be on the other end of the oscillation trajectory, Belal would pop in and hit him with a stiff jab or crisp 1-2 of the middle, And when Luque started to measure this sequence, and started plotting his counter, Belal would tower in with a raging bull takedown and put Luque on his back.
Belal won the first two rounds comfortably, but Luque came back strong in the third round, stuffing takedown attempts. The biggest movement for him came in the third round came when his cornerman made a read of Belal’s lateral movement that exposed him to loopy shots from the wide, and Luque hit him with a strong hook that wobbled him. However, Belal maintained his composure and sailed through the round without sustaining serious damage.
It was 29-28 going into the championship rounds, but Belal looked like the fighter who wanted the fight more, and pushed extra hard to get his hand raised. Before the fight, Luque had been taken down a maximum of three times in a fight, but Belal took him down a total of 6 times with great takedown accuracy. In the end, it was Muhammad who got his hand raised owing to a unanimous decision victory.
In the co-main event, Caio Borralho and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev began trading right away, before the latter shot for a takedown. Caio dominated for two rounds taking Gadzhi’s back for the major portion similar to how Sterling kept Yan on his back. The fight ended with Borralho landing an illegal knee to the face to a downed Omargadzhiev, prompting the referee to call another timeout, and deduct a point for the infraction. The doctor came in, and ultimately Omargadzhiev was unable to continue.
UFC Vegas 51 Main Card results and winners
Belal Muhammad def. Vicente Luque by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46 x2): Welterweight
Caio Borralho def. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev by technical decision (29-27 x3): Middleweight
Andre Fialho def. Miguel Baeza by TKO at 4:39 of round 1: Welterweight
Mayra Bueno Silva def. Yanan Wu by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Bantamweight
Pat Sabatini def. T.J. Laramie by unanimous decision (30-26 x3): Featherweight
Mounir Lazzez def. Ange Loosa by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Welterweight
UFC Vegas 51 Preliminary Card results and winners
Devin Clark def. William Knight via TKO (Punches) at 3:21 of Round Three
Pannie Kianzad def. Lina Lansberg via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Drakkar Klose def. Brandon Jenkins via TKO (Punches) at 0:33 of Round Two
Rafa Garcia def. Jesse Ronson via Submission (Read Naked Choke) at 4:50 of Round Two
Martin Buday def. Chris Barnett via Technical Unanimous Decision after Illegal Strike in Round Three (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jordan Leavitt def. Trey Ogden via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Sam Hughes def. Istela Nunes via Majority Decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
Alatengheili def. Kevin Croom via TKO (Punches) at 0:47 of Round One
UFC Vegas 51 bonus winners
These are the fighters who cashed in the extra $50,000 bonus for their brilliant performances at UFC Vegas 51.
- Performance of the Night: Adre Fialho
- Performance of the Night: Drakker Klose
- Fight of the Night: Bueno Silva
- Fight of the Night: Wu
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