Muhammad Mokaev knows what it feels like to win in the octagon and still lose in the UFC.
In 2024, Mokaev experienced a similar breakdown despite no defeats under his belt, and he now targets White and the UFC’s workouts to defend Basharat.
“When fighters get phone calls from their bosses saying, ‘If you keep fighting like this, you’re going to get knocked out,’ then you’re basically telling the fighters how you want them to fight,” Mokaev wrote on Twitter. “At what point does this exceed the limit? Doesn’t this influence competition?”
“And if you want to release a fighter, fine. But don’t publicly say he was ‘difficult to deal with’ or create a bullshit narrative about him that could damage his reputation and make other organizations think twice about signing him. Release fighters if you want. Just don’t try to hurt their careers by getting out.”
Like Basharat, Mokaev employed a wrestling style that did not always produce exciting back-and-forths (although Mokaev did score submission victories in four of his seven UFC victories). The nail in Mokaev’s coffin was a disappointing decision victory over Manel Kape at UFC 304, where both men produced little significant offense. Worse yet, Mokaev and Kape had an altercation during fight week, with Mokaev admitting he threw the first punch.
Mokaev is 4-0 since parting ways with the UFC, having finished three of his last four opponents, but remains on the outside looking in, with his competition mostly unknown to fans in North America. The 26-year-old is currently No. 7 at 125 pounds in the MMA Fighting world rankings.
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