The UFC Vegas 87 will feature the UFC flyweights Muhammad Mokaev and Alex Perez going one-on-one against each other. ‘The Punisher’ Mokaev has maintained an undefeated record in his pro-MMA career, largely due to his ground game. His superb prowess on the ground may remind fans of the noted UFC icon, Khabib Nurmagomedov, which also might compel many of them to think that Mokaev trains with Team Khabib.
A look at ‘The Punisher’s’ surname will indicate that it is quite similar to the current UFC lightweight king, Islam Makhachev’s surname. Reports say that Mokaev is also a Dagestani native, just like Khabib and Makhachev. Still, most MMA statistics websites showcase that he fights out of Manchester, UK, which may confuse fans.
Mokaev’s mother passed away when he was just 12. Following this loss, his father decided to relocate to Manchester along with him. They have been living in the same place since then. So, the websites aren’t probably too wrong. As of now, it has been more than a decade since he has been living in the UK.
But, several fans may know that Khabib performs his coaching activities mostly inside Javier Mendez’s facility, ‘American Kickboxing Academy’, where he once used to train. There are a few UFC fighters like Mateusz Gamrot who are affiliated with American MMA facilities despite hailing from faraway countries. Mokaev is affiliated with Bahrain’s KHK MMA Team and is coached by completely different people.
So the fans predicting Mokaev to be a member of Team Khabib are nowhere correct. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t realize the greatness and impact of ‘The Eagle’ on the sport of MMA.
Muhammad Mokaev respects Khabib Nurmagomedov but doesn’t want any comparison
The 23-year-old once appeared in an interview with ‘Sportskeeda MMA’, where he talked about several issues. Mokaev hadn’t joined the UFC back then. But his superb ground game had already triggered comparisons with ‘The Eagle’. Mokaev answered a question about this issue, which revealed that he had immense respect for Khabib in his heart.
‘The Punisher’ implied that there was nothing wrong in being compared to ‘The Eagle’, since he is one of the legends in this sport. But he also clarified that he wanted to write his own story of greatness.
Well, a victory at the UFC Vegas 87 is of immense importance to Mokaev to establish himself as a great of the sport. It’s quite apparent that he will be desperate to maintain his undefeated 10-0 record. But do you think he will be able to bag a victory?
