UFC welterweight contender claims "takedowns" likely to be key factor in Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira matchup at UFC 281

UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad is making a bold prediction regarding the upcoming Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira.

Muhammad is no stranger to breaking down fights, as he also serves as a UFC analyst on a number of broadcasts each year. The Adesanya-Pereira combat trilogy has generated plenty of interest from fans, as many believe it’ll be a striking masterclass.

On the contrary, ‘Remember the Name’ tweeted out that he believes fans could be in for a surprise at UFC 281. He gave a bold prediction that the winner of a bout between two elite strikers will be contested by wrestling:

“I think there will be more takedowns in the main event than the comain this weekend.”

Muhammad is implying that the co-main event between UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza and former strawweight champion Zhang Weili will feature less wrestling than the main event, which features two former kickboxers. To put it into perspective, Esparza’s strength is her wrestling ability, while Weili has worked on her takedown defense by training with Henry Cejudo.

Despite the striking abilities of ‘The Last Stylebender’ and 'Poatan', it shouldn’t be ruled out that one of them, if not both, will attempt takedowns in order to catch their opponent off guard. While speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Adesanya said that he’s excited about the main event:

“I just wanna make it a horror movie, that’s how I feel. I’ve decided this is going to be a horror movie. This is going to be bloody. This is going to be one where it’s like…it won’t last as long as me and Kelvin (Gastelum), but it’s gonna get like that and it’s going to be like who can swim? Who can swim the longest? Who’s gonna drown?”

Watch Israel Adesanya's full segment on The MMA Hour:

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What’s next for Belal Muhammad in the UFC welterweight division?

Belal Muhammad is riding high at the moment in the welterweight division. The No.4-ranked UFC welterweight is coming off an impressive second-round TKO win against Sean Brady. He also handed the No.8-ranked welterweight his first career loss.

Despite being unbeaten in his last nine fights, Muhammad might still have to wait for a title shot because former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is expected to earn an immediate rematch against new welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

Even though ‘Remember the Name’ might not earn a title shot in his next fight, he’s closing in on a title shot and could only need one more win to earn it. Based on the rankings, a title eliminator bout against either No.2-ranked welterweight Colby Covington or No.4-ranked welterweight Khamzat Chimeav seems logical.