Belal Muhammad steps inside the octagon to take on Vicente Luque in a rematch in the main event of UFC Vegas 51. The welterweight contender has made a rapid rise in the promotion since making his debut in 2016. He has defeated some tough fighters like Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson to make his way into the top ten of the 170-pound division.
Now he faces a stern test in the form of Vicente Luque who he faced previously at UFC 205. That fight didn’t go according to his plan as he was obliterated by The Silent Assassin in the first round. It is safe to say that he has bounced back in tremendous fashion after that defeat as he has won ten of his next twelve fights.
As we inch closer to Belal’s return at UFC Vegas 51, let us take a look at some of his biggest fight purses in the promotion.
Has Belal Muhammad earned more than $1 million in the UFC?
Belal Muhammad didn’t have the best of starts in the promotion as he suffered a lopsided defeat to Alan Jouban in 2016. For his debut fight, he earned a total of $64,500 ($12,000 to show up, $50,000 as a Fight of the Night bonus, $2,500 Reebok sponsorship)
However, he finished Augusto Montano in his next fight and earned his first career victory. Thereafter the promotion booked a fight between him and rising prospect Vicente Luque at UFC 205. Both the fighters were in the early stages of their career, and fans were expecting a violent bloodbath that would go to the distance.
But Vicente had other plans as he was quick to capitalise on Muhammad’s mistake and dropped him with a brutal right hand in the first round. Thereafter he finished him with some heavy ground and pound strikes.
For this highly anticipated showdown against Luque, Belal earned a total of $16,500 ($14,000 to show, $2,500 Reebok sponsorship). Remember the Name was in a spot of bother as he suffered two defeats in his first three fights. Although he made some changes to his game and went on to win his next four fights.
Subsequently, he took on Geoff Neal who also made an instant impact with two consecutive finishes after earning a contract in the DWCS in 2017. In this matchup, Handz of Steel secured two knockdowns and outstruck Belal to win the fight via unanimous decision. For this defeat, Muhammad earned $40,000 ($35,000 to show, $5,000 fight week incentive pay).
Following this tough loss, Belal racked up yet another four-fight win streak to his name. He was then matched up against Leon Edwards who was making his return inside the UFC octagon. It is needless to say that fans were excited for this battle as Edwards was on an eight-fight winning streak.
Although the match ended on a disappointing note as the referee stopped the bout as no contest due to an eye poke by Rocky.
Belal received a total of $90,000 for his main event fight against Edwards($80,000 to show, $10,000 fight week incentive pay).
Next up he took on former welterweight title contender Demian Maia on the main card of UFC 263. Muhammad put on a brilliant performance as he controlled Maia on the ground with his grappling skills and earned a unanimous decision victory.
He earned $171,000 ($80,000 to show, $80,000 win bonus, $11,000 fight week incentive pay) for his win against the welterweight veteran. With this win, Belal Muhammad took a big step up in competition and faced former welterweight title contender Stephen Thompson.
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In this co-main event matchup, Muhammad landed seven takedowns and won the fight via unanimous decision. For his flawless performance against Wonderboy, Remember the Name received $181,000 ($85,000 to show, $85,000 win bonus, $11,000 fight week incentive pay).
Belal’s last fight was against Vicente Luque Luque at UFC Vegas 51. Although some thought Vicente would dominate Muhammad, the 34-year-old put on a masterclass and beat the Brazilian fighter via unanimous decision. For the fight, he earned a total of $181,000, which included $85,000 each to show up and win and $11,000 more as sponsorship deals. (Figures via The Sports Grail)
In total Belal Muhammad has earned approximately $1,379,500 in his 15 fights in the UFC.