After his shocking release from the UFC, Muhammad Mokaev vowed that he would one day return to the promotion to fulfill his legacy.
When Muhammad Mokaev signed with the UFC in 2022, he was immediately highlighted by the masses as a guaranteed future champion in the promotion.
Impressive performances over the likes of Charles Johnson and Alex Perez then earned him what seemed to be a number one contender fight in the flyweight division against Manel Kape.
Despite that, after narrowly beating Kape at UFC 304, Mokaev was shockingly cut from the promotion after Dana White claimed he was a nightmare to deal with behind the scenes.
Muhammad Mokaev announces surprising next move following shock UFC axing
After his UFC axing, Mokaev returned to the promotion where he began his MMA career, BRAVE CF, scoring a first-round submission win last December.
Ever since being cut from the UFC, ‘The Punisher’ has made it clear that he would like to return to the UFC someday to fulfill his highly touted legacy, having previously hoped to become the youngest UFC champion ever, taking the record from Jon Jones.
However, the 24-year-old still likely has a lot of convincing to do if he is to be re-signed by the promotion.
Despite that, this past Wednesday, Mokaev shockingly announced that his next fight will take place in Karate Combat on May 2 in Dubai at KC54.
“My first ever sport was karate, then I moved to wrestling. I just wanna compete and stay active and build my striking experience. I always will have plan B which is wrestling but I need to work on plan A,” Mokaev revealed in a post on X.
The news came as a surprise to the majority of the MMA fanbase, considering the 24-year-old is most well-known for his impeccable grappling and wrestling background.
UFC star slams Muhammad Mokaev ahead of UFC Mexico City main event
Since Mokaev’s shock cut from the UFC, Steve Erceg has become one of the most popular contenders at 125lbs.
This coming Saturday, ‘Astroboy’ takes on former champion, Brandon Moreno, in the UFC Mexico City main event, hoping to return to winning ways and potentially back into title contention.
Ahead of his big fight, Erceg has slammed Mokaev for his behavior during his time in the UFC, labeling him a ‘privileged diva’.
“I didn’t like the way (Muhammad Mokaev) interacted with people around him, and he’s messaged me since,” Erceg told The Ariel Helwani Show.
“I’m thinking more and more that he’s a massive k—. He seemed like a privileged diva… It was surprising because you would think somebody that grew up the way he grew up would be a little bit more humble… He just seemed like a douche… I would love to slap him around,” Erceg continued.