Muhammad Mokaev is in a really unusual place proper now, career-wise. The 24 12 months outdated flyweight is 13-0 and has the potential to be a future champion. Nevertheless it received’t be with the UFC, as a result of they determined to not re-sign him after he fought out his contract at UFC 304.
Not solely did they let him go, they buried him on the way in which out. Mokaev beforehand claimed UFC matchmakers had complained to him about his wrestling-heavy combating type. However UFC CEO Dana White acknowledged “It’s much more than simply that,” when asserting Mokaev’s departure.
“The matchmakers aren’t huge followers of his for a lot of completely different causes,” he mentioned.
Mokaev triggered an enormous stir throughout UFC 304 combat week after he sucker-punched his opponent Manel Kape on the fighter lodge. The 2 continued to almost brawl at each alternative for the following few days … solely to have a horrible combat within the cage.
Was that the final straw for UFC administration? Mokaev appears to assume so. In a brand new interview with MMA Junkie he mentioned he’d supplied to combat totally free to make amends.
“I mentioned to Hunter Campbell, no matter I’ve finished on the lodge, I’m able to pay for that and combat my subsequent combat within the UFC totally free,” he mentioned. “No matter hassle I make, I feel it’s unprofessional, but it surely’s one thing that was in my coronary heart for a very long time – I needed to eliminate it. And I feel I’ve taken an enormous lesson. I need to come again to UFC and hopefully I might be again.”
There have been rumors that the actual supply of strife with Mokaev stemmed from him fielding affords from PFL. Mokaev denied any talks and recommended somebody was passing false info to White.
“I feel between Dana there’s been a misunderstanding,” he mentioned. “I don’t know the place he acquired this PFL talks … I feel somebody does one thing behind my again, it’s not going to come back out of nowhere with PFL.
“I don’t even see competitors between the PFL and UFC,” Mokaev added. “The UFC is the perfect group on the planet, and I by no means spoke to the PFL. They don’t actually have a flyweight [division], so I don’t perceive. Even on the post-fight interview, I requested for a brand new contract as a result of I need to combat the perfect on the planet.”
Mokaev was in Abu Dhabi to observe UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, however there’s no trace that he’s managed to melt the UFC’s clearly unfavorable opinion of him. That leaves him with few good choices, which can be why he’s working so exhausting to make peace along with his former promoter.
