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Former UFC flyweight standout Muhammad Mokaev will return to action just in time for you to kickstart your final countdown to Christmas.
Following a unanimous decision victory over Manel Kape at UFC 304 in Manchester, Dana White revealed that ‘The Punisher’ would not be re-signed to the organization after fighting through the final fight on his contract. It was a surprising decision considering Mokaev had just moved to 13-0 with seven of those victories coming inside the Octagon.
A month later, Mokaev signed with BRAVE CF, the promotion he called home before signing with the UFC.
We now know that at the promotion’s next event on Friday, December 13, Mokaev will square off against South Africa’s Luthando Biko, which goes down inside the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town, Bahrain.
On Monday, the promotion announced his return in a press release that tried (and failed) to compare Mokaev’s popularity to that of one of the greatest P4P fighters of all time — Demetrious Johnson.
“The announcement of Muhammad Mokaev’s highly anticipated return to the cage at BRAVE CF 91, where he will face South Africa’s Luthando Biko, has once again highlighted the undefeated prodigy’s undeniable star power in the global Flyweight division. A product of the KHK MMA development system, Mokaev’s ability to capture attention was proven yet again as the fight news created a massive buzz across the combat sports world.
“The story was first broken by the website ‘MMA Fighting,’ which coincidentally published it just minutes apart from another major Flyweight headline: news involving Demetrious Johnson, widely regarded as the greatest Flyweight of all time. Despite Johnson’s legendary status, Mokaev’s fight announcement outperformed in terms of views and engagement, showcasing his influence among fans and media alike.
“Within hours, several other international media outlets had picked up the story, amplifying the buzz around his comeback fight. Metrics tools revealed that searches for Muhammad Mokaev surged back to levels reminiscent of his widely celebrated re-signing with BRAVE CF.
“This renewed wave of interest reaffirms Mokaev’s position as a bona fide star in the Flyweight division. Beyond his undefeated record, Mokaev’s appeal lies in his magnetic personality, confidence, technical exuberance, and knack for staying in the spotlight. His ability to generate significant fan and media interest, speaks volumes about his position in the picture of the Flyweight division globally.
“As he prepares to face the tough and gritty Luthando Biko at BRAVE CF 91, all eyes will undoubtedly remain on Mokaev. For BRAVE CF, the buzz surrounding Mokaev’s return is a testament to their role in nurturing global talent and creating stars. For Mokaev, it’s yet another reminder of the massive expectations riding on his shoulders—and his ever-growing capacity to exceed them.”
Clearly, BRAVE CF is choosing to ignore that most of the attention on Mokaev lately has been for all the wrong reasons.
Muhammad Mokaev plotting 2025 return to the UFC
Counting his amateur record, Mokaev has won 36 straight fights and he’s already planning on a return to the UFC once he racks up a few wins in BRAVE CF.
“I’m ready to come back now,” Mokaev told MMA Junkie. “I’m fighting in BRAVE, so whenever they call me, I’m ready. I want to become UFC champion, and I knew I could because I was very, very close to it.”
Of course, Mokaev’s UFC release had little to do with his performance and everything to do with his attitude which was said to be piss-poor according to Dana White.
“This is an opportunity to be here and to perform in front of the entire world,” White said at a DWCS press conference in August. “And [Mokaev] is just a guy that did everything wrong and pissed these guys off.”
“I wasn’t involved in any of the stuff that happened with him, but the matchmakers and Hunter [Campbell] were. And they weren’t happy with him. They weren’t happy with the way he acted. They weren’t happy with a lot of things he did and said. I guess you can look back now and regret it. But you did it. You did it, and you put yourself in this position.”
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