Muhammad Mokaev is not giving up on his dream of being a UFC champion.
Muhammad Mokaev hasn’t stopped dreaming of one day being a UFC champion.
A year after his surprise exit from the UFC, Mokaev (15-0) remains hopeful that he will once again set foot in the octagon. Mokaev fought out his contract last July, beating top contender Manel Kape in a lackluster unanimous decision win. Despite being just 23 years old at the time, undefeated, and highly ranked, the UFC chose not to re-sign Mokaev, as UFC CEO Dana White claimed he was difficult to work with.
“I was fighting on my last fight deal of my contract against Manel, so it all depended on my performance,” Mokaev said on Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel. “Basically, Mick Maynard is the matchmaker of UFC flyweight division, and basically the story is, he asked Dana to keep the division, and he wanted more exciting fighters, and for the UFC, it’s strikers, strikers with finishes.
“For myself, I did the seven fight within two years, and you know to make flyweight, it’s hard, and within two years I had seven fight against four of them were top 15 opponents Basically, the more I fought, the less performance I show because the longer you’re in training camp you just get tired of it. I started with great performances and I started slowing down and just didn’t have the hunger. I just thought, ‘I just need to reach to the title, reach to the title.’ Everything in my head was about Pantoja (the UFC flyweight champion), I didn’t care, if I won by decision. I didn’t care about that. The only guy in my head was Pantoja and that’s it. Basically, I was fighting Manel in my last deal and if I knocked him out they would definitely signed me and given me the best deal, but I didn’t finish him, and basically they didn’t resign me.”
Mokaev claims that his style wasn’t seen favorably in the UFC. Yet, despite proving to be one of the world’s best, the UFC wasn’t interested in having him on its roster. Mokaev denies being challenging to work with, and says his UFC exit was purely based on his entertainment value, which he doesn’t find fair.
“I’ve been told, ‘Listen, you need to put performance and go out there and take risks if you want a new contract,'” Mokaev said. “It wasn’t about the (altercation with Kape) I did outside the hotel. It didn’t help, but it wasn’t the main reason. It was all bout the performance. I don’t think it’s fair because we’re martial arts, and I was 23 years old and 7-0 in the UFC. I can’t be the best Mokaev with flying knees every fight. Sometimes the fight can be ugly, depending on the opponent. I basically felt I was going to get cut.”
Since his departure, Mokaev has competed twice in MMA, going 2-0 in Brace FC. He thinks a few more wins could get the UFC to reconsider their stance on him, at least that’s what he’s hoping for.
“I think I’m going to win a couple more fights, and I want to sit down with UFC and talk to them because I want to see what’s next for my career, and I believe there’s a chance for me to come back and take the belt,” Mokaev said. “I’m not saying I’m going to run past Pantoja, Pantoja is one of the toughest opponents, but I have trained with him and I don’t see anything special.”
