Muhammad Mokaev knows exactly why his next fight isn’t for the title.
Just last week, it was announced that UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja would defend his title against no other than Western Australia’s Steve Erceg in the headliner of UFC 301. The news came as a surprise for many as Erceg currently sits at #10 in the rankings and was sent straight to the top.
Mokaev thought he’d be next in line after defeating former title challenger Alex Perez, making it six victories in a row in the promotion. But, it looks like the #7-ranked flyweight has still got some work to do before he meets the champion.
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Mokaev Addresses Latest Performance
Frustrated at first with Pantoja taking what he thinks is ‘the easy fight’ in the division, Mokaev has taken a step back to reflects on what went wrong for him and that starts with a lackluster night against Perez, where he won by decision despite feeling ‘very sick’ in the Octagon.
“I don’t like my performance, but I like the way I won,” Mokaev told Home of Fight, regarding his last fight. “Listen, Alex Perez and Tim Elliott were both title contenders in the past. When Alex Perez and Tim Elliott were fighting in professional, I was in a refugee center as a 12 year old. Who cares if I keep winning, they’re still gonna turn it on, watch even if it’s sometimes boring. It’s boring for me, too, sometimes. I don’t wanna be there. Like I said, I didn’t wanna be there that day [I fought Perez]. I just had to turn up and go out and recover, you know?”
Mokaev On ‘How I Felt What UFC Done To Me’
Following the win, the undefeated contender threw his name in the hat to fight Pantoja at UFC 301 but to no avail. Mokaev says the ‘boring’ performance over Perez was most likely the deciding factor for the promotion to go a different direction altogether.
‘The Young Punisher’ doesn’t hold any hard feelings when it comes to the UFC though, as the 23 year-old aims to add more to the highlight-reel to make his case for title contention.
“Really motivated to make like spectacular finish next fight,” Mokaev said. “Like for all the doubters that think like I cannot finish guys, and then stuff, I really, really motivated because they, they just said [you’re not] fighting for the title because you’re boring, basically. That’s how I felt what UFC done to me, you know? And it’s okay. It’s an organization of knockouts, of the highlights. Realistically, my performance wasn’t great for the highlights, for the make for the title. Some fans didn’t like it, I didn’t like it, but for me, of course, a win is a win.”
Brandon Royval Next Up?
Potentially a win or two away from fighting for gold, Muhammad Mokaev has entertained a fight with #1 contender Brandon Royval to get him where he wants to be.
“If they want to see the real highlight before I go for the title, give me Brandon Royval in Manchester, whatever. If he has event in his hometown, I’ll go to his hometown,” Mokaev added.
