Issue 198

June 2023

Muhammad Mokaev has already accomplished so much in his career, but at the age of 22, he’s only just getting started, writes Caoilte de Barra.

The story of Muhammad Mokaev is well documented in MMA. The undefeated superstar moved to the UK at the age of 12 as a refugee after fleeing Dagestan due to political issues. 

Mokaev did not speak a word of English when he arrived in the UK, and after being granted a house in Wigan, he and his father got by on £36 ($43) a week in benefits. The Greater Manchester town is where the top prospect visited the Wigan Youth Zone, where his journey towards the top of the MMA world began. 

Just over three years after arriving in the UK, Mokaev embarked upon his MMA career at the tender age of 15. His quick rise on the regional scene saw him likened to fellow Dagestan-born star, and one the greatest athletes to grace the sport, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The comparisons were to be expected, given the similarities in style, place of birth and wearing of a papakha headpiece.

Six fights into his amateur career, Mokaev burst onto the international scene after entering the 2018 IMMAF Junior World Championships, where four fights in as many days saw him stand out from the sea of athletes in action the tournament. His run in IMMAF competition spanned from 2018 to 2020 and saw him collect four gold medals during that time. His time at IMMAF did not come without some lessons, though. During the 2019 Asian Championships, he was removed from the competition due to excessive weight cutting. 

He shook off the setback and returned a month later to pick up a European gold medal, capped off by a World gold medal in the months that followed. At that point, all three of his finals were against Japan’s Reo Yamaguchi – a trilogy that saw both men take each other to the limit and show all aspects of their game. Each time they entered and were on the opposite side of their respective bracket made for one of the best competitive storylines in IMMAF history. Outside of MMA, his activity levels were unparalleled, frequently competing in wrestling and BJJ, both nationally and internationally. The IMMAF ranks were where Mokaev gained a large amount of his amateur experience. However, he had the perfect balance of tournament-style action and one-night show experience to hone his craft and line him up for the professional ranks.

Right before the COVID-19 pandemic, Mokaev rounded out his amateur career with another IMMAF gold medal to end his amateur career with a record of 23-0 and embark upon his pro career. The hype was already real at this point, with fans eager to see if the dominance of this young man would translate to the pro ranks, and so it did. Just 13 months after turning pro, Mokaev signed with the UFC after amassing an undefeated record of 6-0 (1 no contest). 

After signing with the UFC, Mokaev continued to appear at IMMAF events, cornering some of his KHK MMA teammates at the 2021 World Championships in Abu Dhabi, all while preparing for his highly anticipated debut. Pressure mounted ahead of his UFC debut at UFC London against Cody Durden, but he felt none of his and went on to show the world exactly what he can do, picking up a performance of the night bonus in the process. 

His next two appearances in the Octagon saw fan expectations increase along with his level of competition in the form of Charles Johnson and Malcolm Jordan. The latter was a fight which saw Mokaev face some adversity before digging deep and coming out with the finish, silencing any critics. His biggest year to date saw him make his mark in the UFC, while outside the cage, his personal life was blossoming as he welcomed a child to the world, making him the youngest father in the UFC. 

With his record standing at 10-0 (1 no contest), Mokaev is on track to achieve his goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, a record currently held by the UFC’s pound-for-pound number one, Jon Jones, but injury may prove to be a major barrier to that goal.

His recent bout at UFC 286 saw him go through the pain barrier against Brazilian Jafel Filho as he survived a tight kneebar that had the entire crowd – and the UFC commentary team – wincing before turning the tables to defeat his man with a submission of his own as he claimed victory via third-round rear-naked choke.

Mokaev may have won, but after the matchup he was left needing crutches to walk. That knee, along with a shoulder injury he carried into the bout, are both issues he may need to address before his next assignment in the Octagon. But "The Punisher" has shown his ability to fight through adversity and still prevail, and once he's back to full fitness, he could be ready to make the jump to face ranked opposition the next time we see him in action.

For Mokaev to meet the goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion, he will have approximately one year from that March 18 win to achieve it. The excitement surrounding the young flyweight is growing, and his journey to this point will already inspire many. It remains to be seen if he can reach the pinnacle of his division, but time will tell as Mokaev’s journey to the top continues.