Muhammad Mokaev (UFC)
Know everything you need to know about Muhammad Mokaev the latest UFC signing
The latest signing of UFC, Muhammad Mokaev is one of the hottest MMA prospects. The 21 year-old has middle eastern roots but has been big in the European fighting scene for a while. He is only six fights deep into his MMA career but has been one of the most interesting youth talents, Mokaev also happens to be one of the youngest fighters in the UFC roster.
Mokaev mostly fought under the Brave promotion until now. His amateur career was pretty astounding as well, going unbeaten in 23 fights where he fought under the IMMF banner. UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard talked about the young prospect in a statement which read (h/t UFC):
“Muhammad is a flyweight I had been keeping an eye on for quite some time. He is very experienced at only 21 years old with almost 30 fights when you combine amateur and pro bouts. He is undefeated, dynamic and very charismatic. Mohammad sees himself as a flyweight Khabib. He is a perfect fit for this young, fun division.”
Mokaev’s early amateur success caught the eyes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 21-year-old wears a papakha just like the former light-weight champion. Nurmagomedov encouraged Mokaev to keep going. In a recent interview with CNN, Mokaev spoke about how he is different from Nurmagomedov:
“My charisma is different than Khabib’s because people found out about him when he was like on a 26-fight winning streak. People knew me when I was like on my third amateur fight. The difference when I get to that level, you will see.”
Mokaev’s journey to MMA has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Having been born in Dagestan, him and his father left Russia with no money and in 2012 ended up in a refugee centre in Liverpool, England. They spent 28 days thereafter being relocated to a home in Wigan.
Mokaev was becoming friends with the wrong people on the streets so his father Murad needed to take some action. His father started to bribe him to go to the Wigan Youth Zone to keep him away from the streets. From there he was introduced to wrestling and went on to become the European champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and also won the British wrestling championship.
This marked the beginning of his MMA career and the 21-year-old has not looked back since. He is determined to make a name for himself in the UFC. With age on his side, he can achieve great things in UFC. It will be interesting to see how Mokaev does in the UFC as he aims to become one of the greats. His debut is likely to come in the first quarter of 2022.
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