Tag: muhammad mokaev

Manel Kape: Referee Mike Beltran Should Have Been Fired For ‘B*tch Move’ In Muhammad Mokaev Fight

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape is set to return this weekend in Tampa where he closes out his 2024 campaign by facing off with the dangerous Bruno Silva at the Amelie Arena. This contest will be his first fight back since his controversial clash with Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July. […]

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape is set to return this weekend in Tampa where he closes out his 2024 campaign by facing off with the dangerous Bruno Silva at the Amelie Arena. This contest will be his first fight back since his controversial clash with Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July.

There was a lot of tension between the two men throughout fight week that spilled over once they got inside the Octagon. However, once the fight itself had actually started, it wasn’t the most exciting contest. Mokaev’s win should’ve seen the undefeated contender solidify his status as the next in line for a flyweight title shot but instead, the UFC chose to not re-sign him after he had no fights left on his deal.

Considering all of the drama between them in the lead up to their fight, it’s not surprising that Kape isn’t upset about his former opponent departing the promotion. During his media day interviews, “Starboy” labelled “The Punisher” as “dirty”, accusing him of committing multiple fouls in their fight that changed the outcome.

Kape also places some of the blame for that fight on the third man inside the Octagon, referee Mike Beltran. He believes that he was having to do Beltran’s job for him after the official failed to spot and penalize Mokaev’s infringements and for that, he thinks Beltran should have also been forced to leave.

“What is even worse is the referee. I don’t think he was a man; it was a b*tch move,” Kape said. “He was looking at him when he grabbed my shorts, and when I dropped my hands to lose the position, Mokaev still grabbed my shorts out of fear because it was one of my favorite submissions, the kneebar. I felt the victory in the moment. If I had gotten the victory, no one would have called the fight boring because I would have finished him.

“The referee should have taken a point; he didn’t do his job. Mokaev got fired, and one of the other people that should have been fired was the referee, as he didn’t do his job…the referee was the main issue. Listen,” Kape continued. “There was also an issue when I punched Mokaev, and he put a finger in my eye, so I gave my back because it was bad, and the referee didn’t do anything…I felt in that fight that I was a fighter and referee because it was me who stopped the fight multiple times…there were multiple fouls, and I think the UFC should fire him as well. So, it was just Mokaev.”

Watch Kape’s full media day interview via MMA Fighting below:

Muhammad Mokaev Gets Replacement Opponent On 2 Days’ Notice For First Fight Since UFC Exit

Muhammad Mokaev will face a late-notice replacement opponent this week, keeping the date for his first outing since exiting the UFC intact. Mokaev enjoyed an undefeated run in the UFC during a three-year stint, rising up the ladder in a fashion that saw many predict potential championship glory in his future. And by getting the […]

Muhammad Mokaev will face a late-notice replacement opponent this week, keeping the date for his first outing since exiting the UFC intact.

Mokaev enjoyed an undefeated run in the UFC during a three-year stint, rising up the ladder in a fashion that saw many predict potential championship glory in his future. And by getting the better of Manel Kape at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July, the Dagestan-born Brit appeared to be close to the front of the queue.

But more than just being snubbed for Alexandre Pantoja’s subsequent title defense, “The Punisher” was eliminated from the equation altogether when the UFC opted not to renew his contract.

The decision came after he struck Kape at a hotel during fight week, with UFC CEO Dana White suggesting a number of issues away from the cage left the matchmakers with negative views on the young fighter.

After his push for an immediate Octagon return fell on deaf ears, Mokaev put pen to paper on a deal with his former organization, Brave Combat Federation. His debut was later confirmed for this weekend’s Brave CF 91 event in Bahrain.

Disaster struck just days out from the card, with Mokaev’s opponent Luthando Biko withdrawing due to a health issue. Fortunately, it’s not taking long for Brave CF to secure a new foe, with Joevincent Soe stepping in for a 130-pound catchweight. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.

The 24-year-old didn’t address the news of his first opponent’s withdrawal himself, instead reposting a number of comments on X calling for his re-signing with the UFC in the aftermath of Pantoja’s submission victory over Kai Asakura this past weekend.

“The Cannibal’s” UFC 310 triumph has left him short on fresh challenges to his reign in 2025, only adding to the confusion of many when it comes to the decision to let Mokaev go.

Tatsuro Taira Tops ESPN’s ’25 Under 25? MMA list, Muhammad Mokaev Takes Tenth

ESPN has published it’s MMA 25 under 25 list for 2024 which highlights the top young and rising talent in the sport today. As the list itself states, it isn’t always a perfect predictor of who will go on to achieve success at the highest level but it does group together the young competitors that […]

ESPN has published it’s MMA 25 under 25 list for 2024 which highlights the top young and rising talent in the sport today. As the list itself states, it isn’t always a perfect predictor of who will go on to achieve success at the highest level but it does group together the young competitors that are showing the most promise right now.

For example, in 2019, the top two picks in A.J. McKee and Sean O’Malley have certainly gone on to deliver on their potential whilst the following three names in Edmen Shahbazyan, Nasrat Haqparast and Aspen Ladd have all had varying degrees of success.

Topping the list this time around is Japan’s Tatsuro Taira who is the #5-ranked contender in the UFC’s flyweight division. Even in his last fight where he suffered the first loss of his 17-fight pro career against Brandon Royval, it was clear that Taira belongs at the top of the 125-pound division following six wins inside the Octagon.

His fellow countryman Rei Tsuruya has also scored high (#4) and at 22-years old, he will look to earn his second consecutive win in the UFC when he returns against Stewart Nicoll at UFC 312 in February. The second spot belongs to Raul Rosas Jr. who is likely to be a fixture of these lists for a few more years given that he’s still only 20-years old despite having five UFC appearances already under his belt.

Coming in at number three is the highest ranked woman on the list with Iasmin Lucindo currently occupying the #7-ranking in the UFC’s strawweight division. One of this year’s winners of The Ultimate Fighter, Mairon Santos, rounds out the top five.

Across the top 10, there are two names that don’t currently compete in the UFC and they land at #9 and #10. The younger brother of Zabit Magomedsharipov, Khasan Magomedsharipov, is undefeated at 10-0 with his latest Bellator win coming in June.

Former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev is set to make his BRAVE CF return on December 13 after he parted ways with the UFC following his seventh consecutive win in the promotion over Manel Kape. The #10-pick was placed at #2 in 2023’s list and though he might not be in the UFC right now, he’s clearly still one of the best flyweights in the world at 24-years old. Interestingly, five of the top 10 are men’s flyweights.

Check out the full list below:

  1. Tatsuro Taira
  2. Raul Rosas Jr.
  3. Iasmin Lucindo
  4. Rei Tsuruya
  5. Mairon Santos
  6. Denise Gomes
  7. Felipe dos Santos
  8. Joshua Van
  9. Khasan Magomedsharipov
  10. Muhammad Mokaev
  11. Stephanie Luciano
  12. Tom Nolan
  13. Luana Santos
  14. Cameron Saaiman
  15. Austin Bashi
  16. Lucas Brennan
  17. Kevin Vallejos
  18. Francisco Prado
  19. Fatima Kline
  20. Shanelle Dyer
  21. Nurullo Aliev
  22. Rongzhu
  23. Tereza Bleda
  24. Makoto Takahashi
  25. Kade Ruotolo

BRAVE CF Touts Ex-UFC Fighter Muhammad Mokaev as ‘Bona Fide Star’ in Perplexing Press Release

BRAVE CF Touts Ex-UFC Fighter Muhammad Mokaev as 'Bona Fide Star' in Perplexing Press ReleaseFormer UFC flyweight standout Muhammad Mokaev will return to action just in time for you to kickstart your final…

BRAVE CF Touts Ex-UFC Fighter Muhammad Mokaev as 'Bona Fide Star' in Perplexing Press Release

Former UFC flyweight standout Muhammad Mokaev will return to action just in time for you to kickstart your final countdown to Christmas.

Following a unanimous decision victory over Manel Kape at UFC 304 in Manchester, Dana White revealed that ‘The Punisher’ would not be re-signed to the organization after fighting through the final fight on his contract. It was a surprising decision considering Mokaev had just moved to 13-0 with seven of those victories coming inside the Octagon.

Muhammad Mokaev

A month later, Mokaev signed with BRAVE CF, the promotion he called home before signing with the UFC.

We now know that at the promotion’s next event on Friday, December 13, Mokaev will square off against South Africa’s Luthando Biko, which goes down inside the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town, Bahrain.

Muhammad Mokaev

On Monday, the promotion announced his return in a press release that tried (and failed) to compare Mokaev’s popularity to that of one of the greatest P4P fighters of all time — Demetrious Johnson.

“The announcement of Muhammad Mokaev’s highly anticipated return to the cage at BRAVE CF 91, where he will face South Africa’s Luthando Biko, has once again highlighted the undefeated prodigy’s undeniable star power in the global Flyweight division. A product of the KHK MMA development system, Mokaev’s ability to capture attention was proven yet again as the fight news created a massive buzz across the combat sports world.

“The story was first broken by the website ‘MMA Fighting,’ which coincidentally published it just minutes apart from another major Flyweight headline: news involving Demetrious Johnson, widely regarded as the greatest Flyweight of all time. Despite Johnson’s legendary status, Mokaev’s fight announcement outperformed in terms of views and engagement, showcasing his influence among fans and media alike.

“Within hours, several other international media outlets had picked up the story, amplifying the buzz around his comeback fight. Metrics tools revealed that searches for Muhammad Mokaev surged back to levels reminiscent of his widely celebrated re-signing with BRAVE CF.

“This renewed wave of interest reaffirms Mokaev’s position as a bona fide star in the Flyweight division. Beyond his undefeated record, Mokaev’s appeal lies in his magnetic personality, confidence, technical exuberance, and knack for staying in the spotlight. His ability to generate significant fan and media interest, speaks volumes about his position in the picture of the Flyweight division globally.

“As he prepares to face the tough and gritty Luthando Biko at BRAVE CF 91, all eyes will undoubtedly remain on Mokaev. For BRAVE CF, the buzz surrounding Mokaev’s return is a testament to their role in nurturing global talent and creating stars. For Mokaev, it’s yet another reminder of the massive expectations riding on his shoulders—and his ever-growing capacity to exceed them.”

Muhammad Mokaev

Clearly, BRAVE CF is choosing to ignore that most of the attention on Mokaev lately has been for all the wrong reasons.

Muhammad Mokaev plotting 2025 return to the UFC

Counting his amateur record, Mokaev has won 36 straight fights and he’s already planning on a return to the UFC once he racks up a few wins in BRAVE CF.

“I’m ready to come back now,” Mokaev told MMA Junkie. “I’m fighting in BRAVE, so whenever they call me, I’m ready. I want to become UFC champion, and I knew I could because I was very, very close to it.”

Of course, Mokaev’s UFC release had little to do with his performance and everything to do with his attitude which was said to be piss-poor according to Dana White.

“This is an opportunity to be here and to perform in front of the entire world,” White said at a DWCS press conference in August. “And [Mokaev] is just a guy that did everything wrong and pissed these guys off.”

“I wasn’t involved in any of the stuff that happened with him, but the matchmakers and Hunter [Campbell] were. And they weren’t happy with him. They weren’t happy with the way he acted. They weren’t happy with a lot of things he did and said. I guess you can look back now and regret it. But you did it. You did it, and you put yourself in this position.”

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 […]

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

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.