UFC Fight Night 173 Odds: Belal Muhammad vs. Lyman Good

Muhammad features as the slight odds favourite at -130 with Good at +105.

UFC Fight Night 173 Vegas 3: Muhammad vs. Good

This fight was originally scheduled for UFC 249 in April, but called off when Lyman Good pulled out with what was originally called an injury, before later being confirmed as the UFC’s first known case of Covid-19.

Good comes in with experience, sitting at 21-5 in his MMA career, but has mixed results in the UFC, posting a 3-2 record.  Before pulling out of the April bout with Muhammad, Good’s last fight saw him take out Chance Recountre with a third round knockout at UFC 244 in November.

Good’s mental and physical toughness will need to be on display as he tries to battle back from his Covid-19 diagnoses in April and his father’s death a few weeks ago.  All three of his UFC wins have come by stoppage, but question marks remain over his physical fitness and how quickly his body has been able to bounce back.  That, coupled with the pain of his father’s death will provide physical and mental obstacles to overcome in his quest to win back-to-back fights for the first time since 2015.

Belal Muhammad comes into Saturday night’s fight with a little less overall MMA experience (16-3 record), but more UFC experience.  His UFC career sits at 7-3 and he has gone 6-1 in his past seven fights.

Muhammad has looked dominant in his career, so far.  He has an all-round skillset and is a versatile fighter, who is coming off back-to-back wins over Curtis Millender and Takashi Sato.  His third round submission of Cato earned him Performance of the Night at UFC 242 in September.

Muhammad has certainly fared better than Good, in the UFC, and his energy and technique have seen him face, arguably, tougher opponents than Good.

UFC Vegas 3 Predictions: Muhammad vs. Good

Expect this fight to go the distance.  Both fighters are comfortable on the ground and on their feet, but the edge should go to Muhammad by decision.