From the desolate town of Buynaksk, Dagestan, to the gritty streets of Wigan, 23-year-old Muhammad Mokaev has endured the worst of both worlds. Tough times make tough people but no fight will be more gruelling than the adversity life has thrown at him. Muhammad moved to the United Kingdom with his Father at the age of 12 shortly after the death of his Mother. Seeking a better life with more opportunities Mokaev’s Father had aspirations for him to go to university. Hellbent on honouring the opportunities his Father gave him by facilitating their move away from Dagestan, Muhammad was determined. Aware of the difficulties his lack of English would cause in further education, Mo had other ideas.
After 30 days in a refugee camp in Liverpool the Home Office relocated them to Wigan. Wigan is a predominantly English town with very low immigration. With no money and knowing very little English life was hard. Despite the culture shock, countless altercations and alienation, Wigan prevailed to be a blessing in disguise.
Mo’s Road to the Top 5
In his teenage years, The Wigan Youth Zone was founded to give sporting opportunities to impoverished kids. This made Mokaev the man he is today. Weekly wrestling followed by boxing laid the path to success that Mokaev had sought. Originally Muhammad Mokaev was set on wrestling in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. After struggling to get British citizenship he turned to MMA as a means of achieving sporting greatness without having to leave the country. Mokaev went on to go 23-0-0 in MMA as an amateur.
Further proving he had found his niche, Mo went Pro in 2020. Facing deportation back to Dagestan Muhammad had his hands full. The stresses of training and cutting weight in addition to an uncertain citizenship speak to the resilience of “The Punisher”. As a pro Mokaev breezed through his opponents going 6-0-0 [1NC] (2KO – 2SUB – 2DEC) to earn a UFC contract. Astoundingly in an episode of immense fate, one day later Muhammad Mokaev received his British passport. Signed to the world premiere MMA organisation, now a British citizen it was Mo’s time to shine.
8 Years ago Muhammad sat in the AO arena for UFC 204 in Manchester as a fan with a dream. 100 pay-per-views later Mokaev is welcomed back to the UFC this time a competitor. In what may be his title eliminator fight Muhammad is fired up to put a stamp on the UFC’s return to Manchester. He faces Manel Kape this weekend at UFC 304.
“The Punisher’s” UFC Venture
Muhammad Mokaev remains undefeated with a 12-0-0 [1NC] record (2KO – 6SUB – 4DEC). Debuting for the UFC back in 2022 Muhammad grasped the opportunity with both hands. He faced Cody Durden in the first fight of UFC Fight Night 204 in London. Mokaev did not wait around to pay his dues to the UFC bosses for granting him a contract. Out the gate, he finished the fight within the first minute of the first round after a big flying knee sent Cody to the canvas. As Cody scrambled to his feet Mo wrapped Durden up in a Guillotine choke to end the fight.
Since defeating Durden he has gone on to beat Malcolm Gordon, Charles Johnson, Jafel Filho, Tim Elliot and Alex Perez. Muhammad’s UFC tenure has been largely flawless, but not without a few bumps in the road. In Tony Ferguson-esque style Mokaev showed ridiculous durability against Filho. Spurred on by maintaining his undefeated streak Mokaev got caught in a gruesome knee bar. The deep submission saw his knee bend in all the wrong ways but through pure grit, Mo endured the submission.
Most recently Mokaev detailed the gruesome weight cut which nearly saw him withdraw from the fight. Though withered from weight-cutting complications Mo still showed up and got the decision win over Alex Perez. Despite the health scares Perez certainly humanised Mokaev. Highlighting how one may exploit Mokaev with solid takedown defence.
Struggles aside Mokaev is still unscathed and ready to break into the title picture this weekend.
Muhammad Mokaev’s Keys to Victory
Mo’s confidence on the ground allows for freedom on the feet. Often chaoticly rushing into range with wild strikes as a decoy for a takedown. Despite only two knockouts on his record Mokaev displays the progression in his striking in every fight. As he continues to evolve at only 23 years old it’s astonishing to see him sitting so high atop the Flyweight rankings.
However, his opponent Manel “Starboy” Kape is his toughest test to date. Manel Kape has a record of 19-6-0 (11KO – 5SUB – 3DEC). A power puncher feared since joining the promotion due to his finishing prowess. Kape signed in 2021 losing his first two bouts by decision to Matheus Nicolau and now Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Currently riding a 4 fight win streak Manel seeks to put his name in the hat for the next Flyweight title shot.
Whilst different in style the two combatants are similar in stature. Mokaev stands 5’7″ tall to Kape’s 5’5″. Mokaev has a 2-inch reach advantage at 70″ to Kape’s 68″. The difference lies in their age with Kape 7 years senior at 30 years old. Kape is more experienced going pro back in 2012. While Mokaev has been tested against the upper echelon of the UFC he is yet to face as dangerous opposition as Kape has.
For Mokaev the key is to ensure he doesn’t get caught rushing in. Kape is a lethal striker with a tendency for nasty combinations to the body. Manel Kape has a takedown defence of 77% meaning it will be no easy task for Mokaev.
However, Manel has shown to tire later into fights and regularly struggles to make Flyweight. Mokaev can utilise this early on in the rounds by staying safe and using his grappling to wear on Kape. As the rounds go on we may then see Mo open up with his striking more if Kape struggles with the pressure of “The Punisher”.
With a title shot on the line will Mokaev punish “Starboy” this weekend?
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
