Muhammad Mokaev and manager dispute rumors as to why he wasn't re-signed by the UFC
30/07/2024 11:49
Former UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev has officially been removed from the promotions rankings following his win over Manel Kape at UFC 304 this past Saturday and will not be re-signed.
Despite picking up his seventh win in the promotion since 2022 and remaining undefeated, the UFC has let Muhammad Mokaev go following a bizarre UFC 304 fight week.
Ahead of his fight against Manel Kape this past Saturday, Mokaev admitted to sucker punching ‘Starboy’ when the two briefly met in the fighter hotel.
When the two finally made it into the Octagon, they attempted to get at each other before the fight had even begun.
Mokaev and manager dispute online rumors
At the post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White admitted that he won’t be re-signing Mokaev, which was a massive surprise considering his potential in the sport.
White stated that the reason wasn’t due to his wrestling-heavy fight style like Mokaev had claimed, but because the UFC matchmakers don’t like dealing with the 24-year-old.
Since then, rumors have swirled online that Mokaev and his team allegedly discussed contracts with the PFL whilst still under contract with the UFC, however, the rumors are not believed to be true.
“Not true, never talked to them about it,” Mokaev stated on X.
This was then further disputed by ‘The Punisher’s’ manager, Tim Simpson, who is regarded as one of the best managers in the sport.
Damon Martin of MMA Fighting spoke with Simpson who said the rumors are “completely false”.
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Where does Muhammad Mokaev go from here?
Now that Mokaev’s release has been made official, his quest to become UFC champion ends, at least for now.
Although there will likely be many suitors for the 24-year-old, the PFL doesn’t even have a 125lb or 135lb division and Bellator only has a 135lb division.
The 24-year-old trains regularly in Thailand at Tiger Muay Thai, and a promotion that is huge in that area, is ONE Championship.
Despite that, ONE is seemingly struggling to keep hold of their big-name champions, as even Reinier de Ridder, the former two-weight world champion left the promotion and fought with UAE Warriors this past weekend.
Of course, the current MMA flyweight champion in ONE is Demetrious Johnson. The 37-year-old is still regarded as the greatest flyweight fighter in the world, and considered by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
If Mokaev did, in fact, take his talents to ONE championship, he would likely compete for the title against ‘Mightymouse’ which would be a great alternative to fighting in the UFC.
