Tag: BRAVE CF 91

Muhammad Mokaev Vows To Become ‘Pound-For-Pound Best Fighter In The World’ Ahead Of Post-UFC Return

On December 13, Muhammad Mokaev is set to make his return to MMA following a very significant and unpredictable 12 months in 2024. “The Punisher” last fought at UFC 304 in July where he defeated Manel Kape to earn his seventh consecutive win inside the Octagon. At just 24-years old he has already shown that […]

On December 13, Muhammad Mokaev is set to make his return to MMA following a very significant and unpredictable 12 months in 2024. “The Punisher” last fought at UFC 304 in July where he defeated Manel Kape to earn his seventh consecutive win inside the Octagon.

At just 24-years old he has already shown that he isn’t just the future of the flyweight division but he was the present as well and off the back of another big win over a highly ranked opponent, it seemed clear that he would challenge for the UFC’s 125-pound title in the near future. Instead, in the post-fight press conference, Dana White announced that the promotion would be parting ways with Mokaev due to the issues and complications that he has caused outside of the cage with his behaviour.

Mokaev had got into several fights with fellow fighters including one with his last UFC opponent, Portugal’s Kape who also returns this weekend at UFC Tampa. For now, he is set to put this behind him in order to continue with his incredibly promising career.

It was announced shortly after his UFC departure that he had re-signed with his former home before he stepped inside the Octagon, BRAVE Combat Federation. His return at BRAVE CF 91 at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Bahrain sees him take on a short notice replacement opponent in Filipino flyweight Joevincent So.

In a recent interview with Fight Book MMA, Mokaev spoke about his mentality after what he has been through in the past few months and how it hasn’t derailed his dream of proving himself to be the best in the world.

“I see a lot of people recognize that I’m one of the best Flyweights in the world. But I believe I’m still young, I’m still not in my prime,” Mokaev stated. “I’m winning because of my hard work. I think once I get in my physical prime, like around 26 or 27, I’ll be even stronger and that’s when you’ll see the difference. I will be the pound-for-pound number one fighter in the world! When you’re going against the best in the world, you have to sacrifice everything. That’s what separates a champion from a non-champion.”

Muhammad Mokaev’s First Fight Since UFC Departure Announced

The MMA return of the undefeated flyweight Muhammad Mokaev has been confirmed for BRAVE CF 91 on December 13. In his return to the promotion where he made his pro debut, “The Punisher” will face Luthando Biko at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Bahrain. Mokaev was announced to have re-signed with the promotion shortly […]

The MMA return of the undefeated flyweight Muhammad Mokaev has been confirmed for BRAVE CF 91 on December 13. In his return to the promotion where he made his pro debut, “The Punisher” will face Luthando Biko at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Bahrain.

Mokaev was announced to have re-signed with the promotion shortly after his parting of ways with the UFC opened up a lot of questions about his future. He initially left BRAVE with a record of 5-0 before going on to make his UFC debut in March of 2022 in London.

After submitting Cody Durden in less than a minute of being inside the Octagon, it was clear that this incredibly accomplished amateur was going to be one to watch. Subsequent wins over Charles Johnson, Malcolm Gorden, Jafel Filho and Tim Elliott only added to that.

Beating Alex Perez and Manel Kape via decision put him right into the flyweight title picture even if both fights weren’t the most entertaining but his conduct inside the Octagon wasn’t why his UFC career ended as it was still getting started. Dana White announced in his UFC 304 post-fight press conference that the promotion would not be re-signing Mokaev after he fought out of his contract due to the issues he has created outside of the cage.

His next opponent, Biko, will also be making his BRAVE debut having fought the majority of his career in South African promotion, EFC. The 34-year old has a record of 12-3 and is a former EFC flyweight and bantamweight champion.

After leaving that promotion, he has earned back-to-back wins on UAE Warriors and French promotion ARES FC before stepping into the biggest fight of his career to date. BRAVE CF 91 will be the first event in a double-header for the promotion with two events taking place in Bahrain within a few days of one another.

Bantamweight champion Nkosi Ndebele is set to return in the main event on December 13 to defend his title against Nicholas Hwende. Ndebele recently won back-to-back fights against former UFC fighter Jose “Shorty” Torres to close out their trilogy for the 135-pound title.