Muhammad Mokaev didn’t play the UFC’s game, and he paid the price.
Following a grudge match with Manel Kape at UFC 304, Mokaev was surprisingly not re-signed by the promotion despite defeating Kape to improve to 7-0 inside the octagon. UFC CEO Dana White has publicly expressed his displeasure with Mokaev, which included the fighter getting involved in physical altercations with Kape during fight week for their matchup.
Mokaev recently appeared on the MightyCast, where he shared his explanation for why he was released.
“First of all, I was fighting on the last fight deal contract against Manel, so it all depended on my performance,” Mokaev said. “So basically Mick Maynard is the matchmaker of UFC flyweight division, and the story is he asked Dana to keep the division and he wanted more exciting fighters. Exciting fighters, for UFC, it’s strikers, strikers with finishes. For myself, I would go sometimes, I did seven fights within two years and to make flyweight it is hard, so within two years I had seven fights, four of them were top 15 opponents, and basically the more I fought, the less performance I showed because the longer you’re in training camp you just get tired of it. You get tired of it and I started with great performance and start slowing down and I just didn’t have that hunger, but I just thought I need to reach to the title, reach to the title, everything was in my head was just Pantoja, that’s it.
“I was just there, maybe win by decision, I didn’t care, but only guy who was in my head was Pantoja, that’s it. Basically I was fighting against Manel on the last fight deal, and if I knocked him out, they would definitely sign me and give me the best deal, but I didn’t finish him and basically they didn’t re-sign me.”
Mokaev looked to be a surefire title challenger when he began his UFC career 5-0 with two Performance of the Night bonuses before he’d even turned 24. His sixth UFC win came against longtime contender Alex Perez, and he appeared to be poised to challenge for a belt with a strong performance against Kape.
Unfortunately for both fighters, the grudge match turned out to be a dud, which was especially damaging for Mokaev. His heavy emphasis on grappling resulted in a couple of uneven performances even during his winning stretch, and he knew a forgettable fight with Kape could spell his end with the UFC.
“I’ve been told, listen, you need to be told you need to put performance like go out there and take the risks if you want a new contract,” Mokaev said. “I’ve been told that. It wasn’t something [with] the trouble I did outside the hotel. It didn’t help, but it wasn’t the main reason.
“It was all about the performance and I don’t think it’s fair because we are mixed martial artists and I was 23 years old when I was 7-0 in UFC and they have to understand that I cannot be the best Mokaev like flying knees and stuff every fight. Sometimes, fight can be ugly. It depends on the opponents as well. It depends on the opponents and basically I felt that I was going to get cut.”
Now 25, Mokaev has won a pair of MMA bouts and saw his hand raised in an appearance for Karate Combat since parting ways with the UFC in 2024. According to Mokaev, he’s free to negotiate with the UFC at any time because he claims he’s been working without a contract.
“I never signed paper outside of UFC with any other organization,” Mokaev said. “Even just one-fight deal, two-fight deal, no deal, just me and good relationship and loyalty. From my side, I have to make weight and turn up to the event and they know I’m a man of my word. Thirty-eight fights, never pulled out from a fight. I never miss weight as well.”
“It is risky, but I will find them,” Mokaev joked when asked if he’s been worried about not getting paid.
Mokaev made it clear the investments he has outside of fighting have him financially secure, so his main motivation for fighting in the UFC again is to claim a title there. He’s yet to lose in 16 pro bouts and as long as that streak continues, he’s confident he’ll step into the octagon again.
“Main thing from my side, to get better, to stay active, stay active on the media, stay active on the competition,” Mokaev said. “Not like most fighters getting cut from UFC and they just disappear and think they’ll never come back. In my head, everything is possible in this life. Just keep doing from my side so I don’t regret it when I’m 30 years old.”
