Muhammad Mokaev survived a nasty kneebar attempt by Jafel Filho to earn a third-round submission (rear-naked choke) win earlier today (Sat., Mar. 18, 2023) at UFC 286 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside The O2 in London, England. It was Mokaev’s third UFC submission finish.
As expected, Mokaev dominated the action early and often with takedowns and heavy control. Filho is a well-rounded fighter and offered some good countering and defense along the way, but Mokaev was too strong and resilient.
However, he left himself open in the third round and allowed Filho to grab a hold of his leg. Filho cranked so hard that Mokaev’s knee nearly snapped. Mokaev refused to tap in a position that most fighters would and it allowed him to pull his leg free and secure his own submission stoppage.
Check out the final moments below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:
HOW DID MOKAEV NOT TAP #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/kIDkOV3Wel
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 18, 2023
MOKAEV GETS THE SUB #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/sDvSrLK2go
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 18, 2023
Mokaev, 22, is now 4-0 as a member of the UFC roster since joining the promotion just one year ago. Whether or not Mokaev will be sidelined with an apparent knee injury his next fight inside of the Octagon will undoubtedly come against a top 15 opponent.
For complete UFC 286 results and coverage click here.