Earlier this year, UFC opted not to re-sign top-ranked prospect Muhammad Mokaev. Fresh off a split-decision win over Manel Kape and still undefeated overall, it was a surprising move from the promotion, who claimed Mokaev was difficult to work with. Quickly, rumors spread that Mokaev was rude to UFC employees, although there was never an official comment of that nature.
Whatever the case, Mokaev returned to BRAVE FC, the promotion where he fought prior to signing with UFC. Unfortunately, his scheduled opponent Luthando Biko withdrew from the fight just a couple days before the event. Subsequently, he ended up in the cage opposite short-notice replacement Joevincent So as an absolutely massive favorite.
The fight played out about as expected, last just a couple minutes before Mokaev was able to wrap up the submission victory. Mokaev scored a takedown quickly, dropped some ground strikes, then jumped on the neck as soon as So began to scramble, landing in a tight D’arce choke. Just like that, it was over, and Mokaev argued himself as the best 125-pounder alive after his quick win.
Check out the highlight clip of the finish below:
Muhammad Mokaev makes quick work of late-notice opponent Joevincent So, finishing with a D’arce choke in less than 2 minutes.
Mokaev now 13-0. Proclaims himself the best flyweight in the world. #BRAVECF91 pic.twitter.com/Luv5qRj7G7
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 13, 2024
The question becomes what’s next for Mokaev? Short-notice replacement or no, the guy is too talented to fight in BRAVE forever. The UFC Flyweight division could certainly use another Top 10 talent in the title mix now, seeing as they’ve already granted one title shot to a debuting champion from a rival promotion.
The Russian talent is still just 24 years of age. He still has plenty of time to fight his way back into the Octagon and generate some goodwill with the UFC brass. Whether this win alone is enough remains to be seen, but I would expect “The Punisher” to be back sooner than later.