Muhammad Mokaev‘s celebration of his win at UFC 304 was cut short by shocking news. Despite beating Manel Kape via unanimous decision, CEO Dana White has decided to kick out Mokaev from the UFC roster. While many assumed several reasons for this decision, as it turns out, it’s not as simple as it looks.
Ahead of UFC 304, the top flyweight revealed that he was on the last fight of his UFC contract. Mokaev believed a win could have helped him to negotiate with UFC. However, right after the event, White revealed that PFL would like to have Mokaev, brutally implying his release. According to multi-sport commentator Ben Davis, Mokaev negotiated with PFL while in contract under UFC.
The British undefeated fighter allegedly planned to use PFL as his leverage to get himself a better UFC deal. Davis’s source claimed that all these things were happening behind the scenes. However, UFC got wind of it and took the decision to drop Mokaev immediately. The credibility of the source remains unknown at the moment.
Muhammad Mokaev tried using PFL negotiations ‘as leverage’ before finishing out UFC contract
“Mokaev and his management team tried to check on what PFL would pay well before his last fight on the deal.
UFC got wind of this and considered it the last straw of why they weren’t… pic.twitter.com/1zqnv9josY
— Combat Sports UK (@CombatSportsUK) July 30, 2024
Ahead of the fight, Mokaev and Kape were involved in some nasty altercation outside the octagon. White wasn’t a fan of all this, and many assumed this could be the reason for the exclusion. With the latest revelations, things have definitely taken an interesting turn. However, there is another part of the story that could possibly negate the theory.
Muhammad Mokaev’s manager refutes the PFL links rumors after getting cut by UFC
The relationship between Muhammad Mokaev and UFC has been grim for some time now. The fighter had recently mentioned that the matchmakers didn’t like his wrestling-heavy fighting style, and he did his best to change that. Dana White also talked about it and revealed that the matchmakers don’t like many fighters who shoot for takedowns.
Muhammad Mokaev (via X)However, recently, there have been reports against the rumor regarding Mokaev negotiating with PFL. MMA Fighting‘s editor, Damon Martin, took to X and shared his conversation with Muhammad Mokaev’s manager. This recent conversation essentially said that no such deals were made.
Muhammad Mokaev’s manager Tim Simpson tells me the rumor floating around that his UFC exit was brought on by negotiations with the PFL while still under contract are “completely false.” No truth to that whatsoever.
Damon Martin via X
Muhammad Mokaev’s manager Tim Simpson tells me the rumor floating around that his UFC exit was brought on by negotiations with the PFL while still under contract are “completely false.”
No truth to that whatsoever. #UFC #PFL
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) July 30, 2024
Tim Simpson also manages top fighters such as Israel Adesanya, Leon Edwards, Jiri Prochazka, etc. According to Martin, there is no point in Simpson negotiating with PFL and destroying his relationship with UFC. This has put fans in limbo as it contradicts the previous claims by Ben Davis. Nonetheless, if somehow Mokaev ends up moving to PFL, he’ll most probably have to fight at bantamweight. The reason is that the promotion doesn’t currently have a flyweight division.
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