Muhammad Mokaev’s rough stretch just keeps getting rougher.
Less than a week after getting unceremoniously dumped by the UFC following a victory over Manel Kape at UFC 304, Mokaev saw his options for future employment shrink further when PFL president Ray Sefo shot down PFL’s interest in vying for the flyweight’s services.
“I’ve spoken to people that are in the know and apparently he’s just a pain in the ass to deal with,” Sefo said Friday after PFL 7. “And so, no, we’re not interested.”
Mokaev, 24, is generally regarded as one of the top flyweight talents in the world, currently sitting at No. 10 on MMA Fighting’s global rankings. His victory over Kape pushed his UFC record to 7-0, with additional wins over ranked contenders Tim Elliott, Alex Perez, and Cody Durden. However, UFC 304 also served as the last fight on Mokaev’s contract, and UFC CEO Dana White made it clear after the event that UFC is not interested in re-signing Mokaev.
“The matchmakers aren’t big fans of his for many different reasons,” White said.
“I think the PFL’s going to get a great undefeated guy. Good luck to him.”
The lead-up to UFC 304 did not help Mokaev’s case, as the two fighters got into a brawl at the UFC Performance Institute and then went for round two at the host hotel during fight week in Manchester. Following the latter incident, Mokaev openly admitted that he tricked Kape into taking a photo together before sucker-punching him and igniting a wild scene.
Mokaev ultimately defeated Kape in a largely uneventful decision, but White noted that Mokaev’s behavior surrounding UFC 304 was only one part of a larger picture.
“There was so much bad shit that happened behind the scenes with that thing,” White said.
“Listen, the stuff that played out here over the last several months that started at the [UFC Performance Institute] and other stories of this breaking out, plus many other things — these guys [UFC matchmakers] don’t want to re-sign him.”
After hearing White’s comments, Mokaev attempted to explain his actions on social media and stated that his dream is still to become UFC champion.
“I hope Dana re-signs me,” Mokaev wrote.
