Muhammad Mokaev continues to be on the outside looking in after his career trajectory took a major hit in 2024 when the UFC refused to re-sign him following his victory over Manel Kape at UFC 304.
The flyweight contender was 7-0 in his UFC run and presumably on the cusp of a title shot. A lot of bad blood was involved in his Kape matchup, though, and afterward UFC CEO Dana White alluded to pre-fight antics being a problem and that making the decision to let Mokaev walk easier.
Speaking Wednesday on “The Ariel Helwani Show” nearly seven months after the separation, Mokaev said he’s still unsure of the full story regarding the UFC’s decision, though he clarified that the rumor of him starting negotiations with PFL while still under UFC contract was not true.
“Maybe there’s miscommunication between my team and UFC,” Mokaev said. “People said, ‘He was talking to PFL,’ which I never did. Maybe somebody did. Whereas in PFL, there’s no flyweight division, and being 7-0 and having negotiations with another organization, that must be like stupidest thing ever anyone could do, and I believe nobody did that from my team.
“Maybe my style wasn’t as exciting as they wanted to see. Of course, I try my best to improve. Even now, I come to Thailand to improve my boxing skills. Of course, they want to see highlights — which, highlights brings the money for the company. It’s a business for them. Whoever brings the highlights is a business for them. But I’m still young, and I believe I can develop my game to bring the excitement.”
Mokaev, 24, has taken to social media on several occasions since his UFC departure to express his hopes for a return. While he’s directed comments to White, a conversation has yet to be had with his old boss, though Mokaev said he has spoken to UFC CBO Hunter Campbell and matchmaker Mick Maynard.
Mokaev said there was an opening to pull White aside at a recent PowerSlap event in Abu Dhabi, however he refrained, as the unbeaten flyweight didn’t want to come off as overly aggressive or annoying.
“I spoke to Hunter,” Mokaev said. “He didn’t say, ‘You never come back to UFC.’ He said, ‘Maybe like one or two fights away, and we will get back on negotiations.’ Maybe they want see me get my confidence in my striking. I don’t really know. So I just want to stay busy, and it’s really hard for me to find high-level opponents right now in this part of my career.
“Dana’s always good; whenever I see him, he’s always good to me. Maybe he’s not aware of [the full] situation. I don’t understand, I don’t know how the business works, I’m still new to it. Maybe they just want to give me a lesson to become more mature — and I think they gave me more than a lesson.”
Although the initial PFL rumor may have been false, Mokaev said the promotion still approached him to gauge his interest after the split. ONE Championship also offered him a six-fight contract, Mokaev said.
He declined both.
“They recently called me about joining 135[-pound] tournament,” Mokaev said of the PFL. “I said no, respectfully, I appreciate the offer. We have a lot of mutual friends in Dubai.
“My dream is to be best in the world to fight, and if UFC would say, ‘Listen, this guy is never coming back, he’s banned from UFC,’ like Dana said about Paul Daley, I would say, ‘OK, that’s it. I’m going and finding a new goal.’ [But] there’s no [indication] that they will never bring me back. There’s a chance, and I believe I will be back in it.”
More often than not, dominance has been the name of the game for Mokaev over his undefeated 15-fight career. His professional MMA run began in Brave CF in 2020, and now he’s back with the promotion after submitting Joevincent So with a first-round brabo choke this past December in his first post-UFC bout.
There are worse spots to be in within the landscape than Mokaev’s. Unlike most regional MMA contracts, Mokaev said he’s making more money and has the freedom to return to the UFC if the call comes.
“I was sitting in a VIP box in Abu Dhabi with Sheikh Khaled, the Prince of Bahrain,” Mokaev said. “He [asked] me, ‘Where do you want to fight?’ There was options like other organizations and there’s Brave CF, which he’s owned. He [asked], ‘How much are you getting paid by UFC?’ Last fight I told him this, and he said, ‘You’re [going to get] three times more in this organization. Come join Brave, and then wherever they call you, we will let you fight back in UFC and we will always support you. Whatever support you need, you got us.’ He’s a brother to me.
“[The money] still [doesn’t] make me happy because my dream is become the best in the world. My dream always has been like this. Even if I get paid even 10 times more, my dream is more — for me, [the] price [of being the world’s best] is more than the money.”
Had Mokaev stayed with the UFC and received a title shot, a date with reigning flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja would’ve been on tap. Instead, Pantoja recently scored a third successful title defense by submitting Kai Asakura with a second-round rear-naked choke at UFC 310.
Several fighters have shared their thoughts on Mokaev’s departure, including the likely next UFC title challenger, Kai Kara-France, who called Mokaev “boring” on “The Ariel Helwani Show” in December.
Mokaev respects Kara-France as a fighter, but doesn’t like his chances against the champ,
“I’m the only guy who can beat Pantoja right now in this division,” Mokaev said.
“Kai Kara-France is a great fighter. I think he has good striking, but Pantoja is like a dog, he doesn’t have striking skills, I would say. He’s just there to fight. It’s hard to stop his pressure.”
