Welterweights Alan “Brahma” Jouban (13-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Belal “Remember The Name” Muhammad (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will clash on July 7 at UFC Fight Night 90 in a strikers’ duel.
Muhammad, the Titan Fighting Championships welterweight champion, will make his UFC debut as an undefeated prospect. He captured the Titan FC vacant welterweight title with a ground and pound stoppage victory over Steve Carl. Muhammad finished Carl after battering him for nearly four rounds for his third career stoppage, all by KO/TKO. Muhammad holds three wins under Titan FC and two under Bellator.
Jouban, an exciting action fighter, owns three KO/TKOs in the UFC over Brendan O’Reilly, Richard Walsh and Seth Baczynski. He nearly finished Matt Dwyer as well, but took a unanimous decision victory over him. The only fighters Jouban has lost to are Albert Tumenov and Warlley Alves, who are two highly touted prospects.
In a fight between two strikers, the result will likely come down to intangibles. Jouban holds an edge in experience over Muhammad, with eight more professional MMA fights. He also has more power and finishing ability, as evidenced by his 85 percent finishing rate compared to Muhammad’s 33 percent. Jouban also holds a slight two-inch height advantage.
Jouban also has his wrestling to fall back on if need be. “Brahma’s” only completed four takedowns in his six UFC fights, but he has only attempted those four, meaning he’s perfect to date. He holds a power edge over the technical striking of Muhammad and can end the fight at any time with a solid combination. Of course, Muhammad can outpoint Jouban by staying out of danger and landing more, similar to what he did against Carl and his grappling-heavy approach.
Muhammad looks like he can have a bright future in the UFC, but Jouban is a tough debut fight for anyone. “Remember The Name” can surprise fans the same way he did against Carl and make a splash in the UFC, but the odds of Jouban outclassing him at this stage of their careers is higher.
