Did Muhammad Mokaev do enough to earn a crack at UFC gold?
Muhammad Mokaev did enough to get the win Saturday at UFC Fight Night 238, but was it enough to get a shot at the promotion’s flyweight title?
The script isn’t finished yet and Mokaev (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will have to wait and see. But after his win over Alex Perez (24-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC), Mokaev has one more unanimous decision victory on the resume, which he earned with 29-28s across the board.
Mokaev utilized his signature wrestling and suplex abilities, paired with some ground-and-pound to walk away the victor. Perez, despite only having 3:24 of in-cage time since mid-2020, proved to be a worthy foe. Perez had a strong Round 2 and competitive Round 3, but it wasn’t enough to get the nod.
Muhammad Mokaev moves to 12-0 at #UFCVegas87 and calls for Alexandre Pantoja title fight at UFC 301.
Should he get the shot?
pic.twitter.com/ZXP1Rp7utU
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 2, 2024
After the fight, Mokaev called for flyweight title holder Alexandre Pantoja. The UFC flyweight champion Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) has said he wants to compete May 4 at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mokaev joins Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in the conversation as to who his opposition could be at that event.
Mokaev, 23, has been highly-touted since his amateur days with UFC wins over Perez, Tim Elliott, Charles Johnson and others.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 238 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.
