Following his shock cutting from the UFC, Muhammad Mokaev has continued to build his name in the sport by picking up wins elsewhere.
When Muhammad Mokaev was shockingly cut from the promotion following his win over Manel Kape at UFC 304 last year, it was unclear where his career would go from there.
After competing in grappling, he then headed back into the world of MMA when he signed to fight on BRAVE CF 91, scoring a first round submission.
And then in an attempt to refine his striking, the 25-year-old surprisingly made an appearance on Karate Combat 54, where he scored a second round finish after landing a huge body kick.
Mokaev then returned to MMA when he competed on 971 FC 2, scoring a unanimous decision win over Thomas Assis.
Muhammad Mokaev made Dagestan debut picking up another win
‘The Punisher’ recently talked about his potential return to the UFC, stating that he wouldn’t accept Dana White’s offer if he offered him an opportunity on Dana White’s Contender Series.
And with that, he continued his impressive career outside of the UFC this past Saturday when he made his debut in Dagestan in a wrestling match.
Although Mokaev was born in Dagestan, he moved to the UK when he was a young boy and has only ever returned to Dagestan for training.
However, on Saturday, the 25-year-old competed there for the first time, picking up a win over the then undefeated, Anis Ekubov.
“Alhamdulilah another victory tonight against one of the best flyweights Anis Ekubov (4-0 ACA). Another experience in the bank. I’m on the tour beating every flyweight from other organizations. Free agent, most paid flyweight in the world. M57 does what he wants,” Mokaev said following his win.
Will Muhammad Mokaev return to the UFC?
Even though Mokaev’s relationship with the UFC seemed to end on bad terms, Dana White did once pay for his medical bills after he got involved in a motor vehicle accident.
And if he continues cleaning out flyweights from all other organizations, there may be no choice left for the UFC other than to re-sign him.
At this point, a large majority of the MMA fanbase believes that Mokaev is one of the only fighters that could present a tough challenge for current UFC flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja.