Belal Muhammad will still get to compete before the end of the year – just not against Sean Brady.
In late October, Brady (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was forced out of UFC Fight Night on Dec. 19 due to an undisclosed issue. In his place, Dhiego Lima (15-7 MMA, 4-5 UFC) steps in to face Muhammad (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC).
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie on Monday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
On the cusp of the top 15 welterweight rankings, Muhammad has won seven of his past eight fights, including wins over Tim Means, Takashi Sato, and, most recently, Lyman Good at UFC on ESPN 11 in June.
Winner of his past three in a row, Lima hasn’t competed since edging out Luke Jumeau at UFC 243 in October 2019. He was scheduled to face Alex Morono at UFC 247 in February, but was forced out due to a neck injury that required surgery.
With the addition, the UFC’s Dec. 19 lineup includes:
- Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev
- Geoff Neal vs. Stephen Thompson
- Rob Font vs. Marlon Moraes
- Antonio Braga Neto vs. Deron Winn
- Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett
- Rick Glenn vs. Carlton Minus
- Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
- Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
- Belal Muhammad vs. Dhiego Lima
