MANCHESTER, England – Muhammad Mokaev has fought out his contract and will soon be a free agent, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be back to the UFC, according to Dana White.
“There was so much bad sh*t that happened behind the scenes with that thing,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC 304 post-fight news conference at Co-op Live. “Yeah, not good.”
Following a lackluster win Saturday, Mokaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) called for the next flyweight title shot. Instead, it sounds like he may go home with a pink slip instead.
“He’s not under contract anymore,” White said. “I think the PFL is going to get a great undefeated guy.”
He later added, “The stuff that played out here of the past several months that started at the (Performance Institute) and other stories of this breaking out, plus many other things. These guys (UFC matchmakers) don’t want to re-sign him.”
White said it wasn’t Mokaev’s performance or fighting style that tipped the scales, but indicated a string of outside-the-cage issues caused the matchmakers to become averse to another contract offer.
“Yeah, that’s how what we tell guys,” White said, with a sarcastic tone. “We tell guys how to fight and we’ve been doing this for a long f*cking time. I’m sure one of the matchmakers probably said something to him or whatever. Yeah, the matchmakers aren’t big fans of his for many different reasons, and not just takedowns. There are a lot of people who shoot takedowns in this business, a lot of guys who fight with that type of style. But it’s a lot more than just that.”
The lead-up to Mokaev’s bout vs. Manel Kape (19-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was a heated one. The fighters engaged in altercations at the UFC Performance Institute, fight week host hotel, ceremonial weigh-ins stage, and even just prior to the introductions in the cage Saturday. Mokaev defeated Kape by unanimous decision.
Mokaev signed with the UFC in 2022 as a 5-0 professional but began attracting attention as a highly decorated amateur with a 23-0 record. He defeated Cody Durden, Charles Johnson, Malcolm Gordon, Jafel Filho, Tim Elliott, and Alex Perez prior to Saturday’s fight.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
