Tag: muhammad mokaev

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.

Muhammad Mokaev’s Rumored Opponent For First Fight Post-UFC Exit Revealed

Muhammad Mokaev is still yet to make his return to MMA following his controversial UFC departure earlier this year. The promotion chose not to re-sign him following his seventh consecutive win inside the Octagon over Manel Kape. Mokaev has since signed with Brave CF, the promotion where he had most of his early pro fights […]

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Muhammad Mokaev is still yet to make his return to MMA following his controversial UFC departure earlier this year. The promotion chose not to re-sign him following his seventh consecutive win inside the Octagon over Manel Kape.

Mokaev has since signed with Brave CF, the promotion where he had most of his early pro fights before joining the UFC back in 2022. Mokaev did recently make his competition return in a grappling match loss to Rogério Bontorin but now, there are rumours of a potential MMA opponent being lined up for him.

Rather than Brave looking to attract a former UFC fighter or name that fans may be familiar with, recent reports from ??????? ??? on X suggest that Mokaev could be taking on a fighter that is seemingly on the same path that he was once on.

The undefeated Asaf Chopurov has been very impressive during his six-fight pro career having fought on promotions like RCC in Russia and UAE Warriors. In six wins, he’s got five finishes with four of them coming in the first round.

What makes the 22-year old so exciting is that like Mokaev in the early days of his pro career, Chopurov amassed so much experience during his amateur career that he’s already fighting at a high level despite being so young in his journey.

As a former three-time Russian MMA and IMAAF world champion, Chopurov ended his amateur career with an overall record of 30-1. Mokaev, for reference, left behind arguably the most impressive amateur career to date at 22-0.

Chopurov may not be a household name just yet but he’s an undefeated star on the rise who could become that in the near future. Facing Mokaev at this stage in his career could be a huge moment for the rising prospect.

Continue Reading Muhammad Mokaev’s Rumored Opponent For First Fight Post-UFC Exit Revealed at MMA News.

Muhammad Mokaev Mocks Apparent UFC Release Of Longtime Rival

The UFC roster tracking accounts reported that following this weekend’s UFC Fight Night at the Apex in Las Vegas, Jake Hadley has been cut from the roster. The Brit was looking to make it back-to-back wins at bantamweight but came up short. His original opponent, Brady Hiestand, withdrew from the bout on fight week and […]

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The UFC roster tracking accounts reported that following this weekend’s UFC Fight Night at the Apex in Las Vegas, Jake Hadley has been cut from the roster. The Brit was looking to make it back-to-back wins at bantamweight but came up short.

His original opponent, Brady Hiestand, withdrew from the bout on fight week and was replaced by Cameron Smotherman who came in for his UFC debut. “White Kong” ended his run in the promotion with a record of 3-4 and this news wasn’t going to slip past a former rival of his.

Despite some pleasant exchanges between them on social media in more recent times, the feud between UK flyweights Hadley and Muhammad Mokaev has gone on for a long time at this stage. This came to ahead in the UFC when they shared the card with one another at UFC 286 in March of last year.

Both men are no longer with the promotion after Mokaev’s contract wasn’t re-signed, leading him to return to his former promotion of Brave CF. After seeing the news of Hadley’s UFC departure, Mokaev looked to get the last laugh.

Hadley responded, telling his long-time rival to finally set the fight up between them by getting Brave CF to reach out to him now that he is no longer under contract with the UFC.

“Tell brave ring me how much they saying lil man”

This followed a previous exchange where Hadley offered to step in and replace Raul Rosas Jr. who was set to grapple Mokaev at ADXC 6 this Friday. “The Punisher” will now face Brazil’s Rogerio Bontorin at the event instead.

If Brave CF are able to get Hadley to sign so they can make the fight, this would be a great bout for them to put together that would generate some serious interest. Hadley also shared the following post on social media after the PFL’s Dan Hardy commented on the news of his recent release.

Continue Reading Muhammad Mokaev Mocks Apparent UFC Release Of Longtime Rival at MMA News.

Muhammad Mokaev Claims UFC Has Blocked Raul Rosas Jr. From Grappling Him

Muhammad Mokaev was set to make his competition return this weekend at the ADXC 6 grappling event in Abu Dhabi. “The Punisher” was announced last week to be headlining the card against UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. The contest certainly would have attracted lots of attention with Mokaev returning for the first time since his […]

Continue Reading Muhammad Mokaev Claims UFC Has Blocked Raul Rosas Jr. From Grappling Him at MMA News.

Muhammad Mokaev was set to make his competition return this weekend at the ADXC 6 grappling event in Abu Dhabi. “The Punisher” was announced last week to be headlining the card against UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr.

The contest certainly would have attracted lots of attention with Mokaev returning for the first time since his UFC departure. Not to mention that the event would be taking place the day before UFC 308 goes down at the Etihad Arena.

Unfortunately, their meeting on October 25 appears to be cancelled and Mokaev is pointing the finger as to why he will no longer be in action against Rosas Jr.

In a post on X, the undefeated flyweight announced the news and stated that it is the UFC that are to blame after they prevented Rosas Jr. from making the walk at the Mubadala Arena.

UFC fighters taking grappling matches in other promotions isn’t anything new but given the narrative surrounding Mokaev, it makes sense why the MMA leader may have put their foot down if what he’s saying is true.

The event is set to feature several other UFC fighters who still appear to be on the card, including Umar Nurmagomedov. ADXC said in their post that a new main event will be announced for the card.

Continue Reading Muhammad Mokaev Claims UFC Has Blocked Raul Rosas Jr. From Grappling Him at MMA News.

Muhammad Mokaev Claims His Pay Is Three Times Higher After UFC Release

Muhammad Mokaev’s UFC departure may have seen his title ambitions on MMA’s biggest stage take a hit, but the same seemingly can’t be said for his bank account… Mokaev surprisingly found himself outside of the sport’s leading promotion shortly after his latest win at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July. In a lackluster affair, […]

Continue Reading Muhammad Mokaev Claims His Pay Is Three Times Higher After UFC Release at MMA News.

Muhammad Mokaev’s UFC departure may have seen his title ambitions on MMA’s biggest stage take a hit, but the same seemingly can’t be said for his bank account…

Mokaev surprisingly found himself outside of the sport’s leading promotion shortly after his latest win at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July. In a lackluster affair, the Dagestan-born Brit outpointed Manel Kape to move to 13-0 as a pro and 7-0 in the UFC.

With a victory over “Starboy,” Mokaev was anticipating a potential title shot. But seemingly owing to his conduct behind the scenes, “The Punisher” was instead let go after fighting out his contract.

The 24-year-old was quick to complain about the decision publicly, even offering to fight for free if it would allow him back into the UFC. His efforts evidently fell on deaf ears, however, and he’ll need to put the work in outside of the Octagon to stake his claim for a new deal.

And while he goes to work in a bid to show his worth to Dana White and co., he’ll apparently be collecting increased purses along the way…

Mokaev Banking More After UFC Exit, Brave CF Re-Signing

Mokaev’s attempt to impress the UFC higher-ups and force a re-signing will come in familiar surroundings, as he’s returned to the promotion he competed in prior to joining MMA’s top organization, Brave CF.

And while responding to a fan on social media recently, the elite flyweight claimed he’s receiving three times as much pay in the Middle East-based promotion as he did under the UFC banner.

Mokaev later commented publicly himself, claiming to be the “highest paid flyweight fighter in the world” in a social media post.

Despite the lucrative position he’s seemingly found himself in, however, “The Punisher” reiterated that his goal remains a return to the UFC.

“Highest paid flyweight fighter in the world right now without holding the title @bravemmaf But of course my goal is come back to UFC because it is the number 1 promotion in the world right now!”

It remains to be seen when Mokaev will return to action in his new promotion, and whether a strong run of results there could re-open the door back to the UFC and the flyweight gold currently held by Alexandre Pantoja.

Continue Reading Muhammad Mokaev Claims His Pay Is Three Times Higher After UFC Release at MMA News.

‘Mokaev & Chandler Might Have To Share This One’ – Fans Debate Which UFC Fighter Has Taken The ‘Biggest L’ In 2024

The UFC has long been a proving ground where legends are forged, but in this arena, triumph is fleeting for those who fail to time their moves and play their cards wisely. Some fighters ascend to their full potential, while others struggle to break through the barriers holding them back. It’s unfortunate to see those […]

Continue Reading ‘Mokaev & Chandler Might Have To Share This One’ – Fans Debate Which UFC Fighter Has Taken The ‘Biggest L’ In 2024 at MMA News.

The UFC has long been a proving ground where legends are forged, but in this arena, triumph is fleeting for those who fail to time their moves and play their cards wisely.

Some fighters ascend to their full potential, while others struggle to break through the barriers holding them back. It’s unfortunate to see those with the potential for success fall short of what they were meant to achieve, and what they could have ultimately become.

Popular MMA fan account Dovy on X recently polled their followers on who they believe took the “biggest L” in the UFC this year. The question sparked a flurry of responses from the MMA community, with many pointing to figures like Michael Chandler and Muhammad Mokaev as major candidates for this dubious distinction.

Chandler has been sidelined since his third-round submission defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022, eagerly awaiting the realization of a highly anticipated bout with Conor McGregor.

Following that fight, “Iron” took on the role of coach opposite McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter 31, with the expectation that the two would clash sometime in 2023. Despite frequent speculation throughout the past year, the bout never materialized. It was eventually scheduled to headline UFC 303 this past June, but just over two weeks before the event, “The Notorious” withdrew due to an injury, leaving Chandler once again in limbo.

Many contend that, at 38 years old, the former Bellator MMA lightweight champion might have taken another fight in the interim to remain active and maintain his momentum.

In contrast, Mokaev’s situation is markedly different. “The Punisher” was released from the UFC last month, a decision attributed by UFC CEO Dana White to a string of off-the-Octagon complications that led the matchmakers to hesitate in offering him a new contract.

Mokaev was riding an undefeated seven-fight streak in the Octagon and was widely regarded as one of the brightest talents in the flyweight division. With his dominant grappling-heavy style, he was seen as a potential future champion. But now, he’ll need to find a way back to rejoin the world’s premier MMA promotion.

MMA Fans Debate Which UFC Fighter Experienced The Biggest Career Slide This Year

Combat sports enthusiasts responded with a flurry of opinions on which UFC fighter experienced the most significant career downturn in 2024.

“Chandler, and he hasn’t even fought, lol. He was promised a fight vs. McGregor this year, but it got canceled, and then Dana White said in press conferences that the McGregor vs. Chandler fight won’t be happening this year and that it will happen next year instead”

“Clearly Mokaev lol”

“Mokaev and Chandler might have to share this one”

One fan proposed that the former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson deserves the nod, given he’s currently enduring an eight-fight losing streak.

“The guy with the longest ‘L’ streak in UFC history!”

Another fan humorously suggested that he should be deemed the recipient of the “biggest L” of the year due to his string of unsuccessful betting parlays.

“Me on these UFC parlays”

“Michael Chandler 100%, it’s been 655 days since he fought”

One fan jokingly remarked that the real “biggest L” should go to the fellow fans who have had to endure the constant frustration of questionable decisions from UFC judges.

“The fans via robbery decisions”

One user commented that it should be former longtime middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after experiencing the first back-to-back losses of his career, with his most recent setback coming against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305.

“Adesanya is having a rough year”

“Michael Chandler, lol. Wasting years of his life for a McGregor fight that probably won’t ever happen.”

“Mike Mallot. Hype train Derailed in his home town by Neil Magny”

Continue Reading ‘Mokaev & Chandler Might Have To Share This One’ – Fans Debate Which UFC Fighter Has Taken The ‘Biggest L’ In 2024 at MMA News.