PFL officials are not too keen on top UFC prospect Muhammad Mokaev, despite Dana White naming them in his jab at the youngster last week.
The top flyweight won what was at one stage advertised as a flyweight title eliminator last weekend against Manel Kape in controversial fashion at UFC 304. But after the bout was moved to the prelims and Mokaev flattered to deceive, he was told he wouldn’t be receiving a new countract.
Instead, promotional boss White claimed that PFL, the number two promotion in MMA, would be receiving a big talent. But their head of fighter operations Ray Sefo has now said there is no interest on their end, much to the misfortune of Mokaev.
Muhammad Mokaev cut from UFC despite unbeaten record and UFC 304 win
Heading into his fight with Kape, Muhammad Mokaev found himself in a bitter feud which saw the pair come to blows on multiple occasions. Even as ring announcements were being made they had to be held apart by security, much to the annoyance of Dana White.
And even with an unbeaten record and a top spot in the ever-difficult flyweight rankings, Mokaev was told by White publicly that he wouldn’t be re-signed. He was then removed from ranking eligibility in a message sent to the journalists who compile UFC rankigs.
“The matchmakers aren’t big fans of his for many different reasons and not just takedowns,” White said in response to Mokaev’s theory that his fight style had cost him a new deal. It’s a lot more than just that.
“He is not under contract any more, I think the PFL is going to get a great, undefeated guy. Good luck to him. Listen, the stuff that’s played out here over the last few months that started at the PI plus many other things. These guys don’t want to re-sign him.”
PFL boss tells Muhammad Mokaev they are ‘not interested’
Unfortunately for Mokaev, it appears that he is not heading towards a new deal with PFL either, as boss Ray Sefo declared that he was ‘not interested’ in the Dagestani-born Brit. The former fighter noted that he had heard about problems behind the scenes with Mokaev, leading the promotion to be disinterested.
Speaking to media including Bloody Elbow at last night’s PFL Playoff in Nashville, Sefo replied to questions about Mokaev by saying: “No, actually. I’ve spoken to people that are in the know, and apparently, he’s just a pain in the a** to deal with. So no, we’re not interested.”
Mokaev has since hit back at Sefo’s claim, tweeting: “Of course you gonna say this.. I never accepted you deals. Nice move” He also retweeted a message from a fan that noted he has more followers than the promotion on Instagram, claiming he is ‘bigger than PFL’.
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