Named among the most sought-after young talents, Muhammad Mokaev has been MIA from the UFC Octagon since July 2024. And that’s entirely because of Dana White.
The UFC supremo decided not to re-sign him. White made the decision despite Mokaev’s victory over Manel Kape at UFC 304.
He had justification for the harsh decision, though. White revealed how Mokaev was turning out to be a nuisance to handle behind the scenes. The former UFC Flyweight fighter picked fights with his opponents outside of the Octagon. Among those was the alleged brawl with Kape in the hotel ahead of their bout.
Moreover, there were reported instances of Mokaev causing trouble with the personnel as well. Among other factors, the Russia-born fighter did not put up entertaining fights. Nevertheless, he kept up an impeccable winning streak. This helped cement his position as a future world champion prospect.
Mokaev may have been ousted from the UFC, but he’s kept his winning run going. He is currently under contract with the Brave Combat Federation and is fighting in their Flyweight division. Here too, ‘The Punisher’ has been winning consistently. Which many UFC fans have started to notice.
In a post going viral on Instagram, Mokaev’s spotless record is doing the rounds. That includes his fighting record of 38-0. Out of those, 15-0are as a professional, while 23-0 represent his amateur record. Out of those 15 professional wins, Mokaev accumulated seven at the UFC.
In his 16 professional bouts, the 24-year-old has won two by knockout, seven by submission, and six by decision. The remaining one fight went down to a ‘No Contest’.
Naturally, the numbers have left fans stunned. Many are now urging Dana White to reinstate the British-Russian. “Would’ve dominated the whole division in ufc. Dana missing out big time,” wrote one fan.
“I say and continue to say this man is the best flyweight out of all promotions in the world,” opined another, while one wondered, “Dana’s biggest what if.”
Muhammad Mokaev claims to be a changed man
Post his ouster, Mokaev admitted to some of the allegations leveled against him, while denying others. ‘The Punisher’, however, has taken a softer stance lately and claims to be wiser. At the same time, Mokaev blamed the immense pressure he was under for the problematic behavior he projected.
“I made some mistakes, whatever happened,” he told MMA Fighting. “We are humans. I believe the matchmakers and everybody in their life at the age of 22, 23, under so much pressure, so much pressure I had at my age. Maybe they would do more mistakes or maybe less, you know? We are all human. I learned from it.”
Mokaev argued that he was hard to work with during his seven-fight UFC stint. However, he said the dynamic would have changed had he been closer to fighting for a title.
It is now up to Dana White and UFC brass to decide whether Mokaev deserves a second chance in the promotion. The UFC boss is known to hold a special place in his heart for the Russia-born Britisher. Reports claim that White helped out a struggling Mokaev after his UFC ouster and car accident.
