Muhammad Mokaev Scores Brutal Knockout in Search for UFC Return

Muhammad Mokaev once again grabbed headlines last night with a brutal knockout in the second round of his BRAVE CF flyweight title bout. The Punisher progressed to 15-0, capturing the first young career.

Taking on Gerard Burns at BRAVE CF 100 in Bahrain, Mokaev came out for the second round confidently, threw a teep kick and without placing his foot back on the ground, balanced and landed a sweet but brutal headkick, followed by a lightning-fast lead hook. A few follow up shots put the icing on the cake for the former UFC man.

Could Muhammad Mokaev be UFC-bound again?

With last night’s victory, Muhammad Mokaev progressed to 4-0 since leaving the UFC, including a victory in Karate Combat. To say that he can do it all is an understatement.

July 23, 2022, Greenwich, London, London, UK, United Kingdom: LONDON, UK – JULY 23: Muhammad Mokaev prepares to fight Charles Johnson in their Flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night: Blaydes v Aspinall event at The O2 Arena on July 23, 2022, in Greenwich, London, United Kingdom. Greenwich, London United Kingdom – ZUMAp175 20220723_zsa_p175_030 Copyright: xScottxGarfittx

He averaged 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes during his UFC career, but last night showed that he is just as dangerous on the feet as he is in the wrestling realm.

In his post-fight speech, the confident 25 year old declared that he’s “the best flyweight in the world, number 1”. It’s a bold claim, especially when Alexandre Pantoja is still dominating at 35 years old in the UFC.

Many wanted Mokaev to be the man to challenge Pantoja when they were both in the UFC, but as Mokaev was supposedly difficult to work with, the fight never materialised and Mokaev was relieved of his UFC duties. It’s a shame that we haven’t seen that fight as Mokaev would provide Pantoja with a completely different puzzle to one he’s seen before.

Should the UFC re-sign Mokaev to send sparks into the flyweight division? If they do, it may not be what is next for Mokaev, who has his eyes set on BRAVE CF’s bantamweight champion, Borislav Nikolic.

Nikolic defeated Moakev’s teammate, Hamza Kooheji, in the main event of BRAVE CF 100, creating the opportunity for a champ vs champ fight in the future.

Will it be the UFC or will it be Nikolic next for Muhammad Mokaev? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Frazer Krohn
Frazer Krohn
Frazer Krohn is an MMA journalist who has been with MMASucka since 2019. He is the host of the MMASucka podcast, which is released every Monday. He's the author of a series of six books about MMA, which were published in 2023.

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