Dana White and Muhammad Mokaev didn’t have the greatest relationship by all accounts, but that didn’t stop the UFC boss from extending a helping hand.
Muhammad Mokaev was widely regarded to be a future champion in the UFC when he made his promotional debut in 2022 at just 21 years old.
And then following several big wins in the flyweight division, it seemed as though ‘The Punisher’ would be just a few fights away from a title shot.
Despite that, after a controversial win over Manel Kape at UFC 304, Mokaev was shockingly cut from the promotion and UFC boss Dana White didn’t have great things to say about the young fighter.
Dana White paid for Mokaev’s medical bills after car crash
Although he never denied Mokaev’s talent, White claimed that the Brit was a nightmare to deal with behind the scenes and that he was advised to cut him by his peers.
However, despite all of that, Mokaev has recently revealed that when he was involved in a terrifying car crash in 2024, the UFC boss paid for his medical bills, even though he had already been cut from the promotion at that point.
Following UFC Nashville this past Saturday, White confirmed that he helped financially with getting Ben Askren his double lung transplant, which subsequently saved his life.
“Same thing he did (for me) when I had a car crash,” Mokaev stated.
A long running criticism of the UFC is that they don’t offer their fighters any sort of health insurance through the company, and have to pay out of their own pocket when things go wrong.
Could Muhammad Mokaev return to the UFC?
Despite Mokaev and White’s relationship clearly being a difficult one, there seemingly still is a chance that the 24-year-old could eventually return to the promotion.
Alexandre Pantoja continues to wipe out every contender that is put in front of him, with Mokaev being one of the only fighters left that could give him a test.
And since leaving the UFC ‘The Punisher’ has picked up three wins in different promotions, continuing to knock at the UFC door.