Muhammad Mokaev and Raul Rosas Jr. are set to square off in a grappling match.
Mokaev was a top contender in the UFC’s flyweight division until he was shockingly cut by Dana White after beating Manel Kape and stretching his undefeated record to 13-0 (1NC) at UFC 304 in July.
The 24-year-old has since signed a deal to continue his MMA career with Brave CF, but before he makes his second debut for the promotion, Mokaev will take part in a grappling match.
Details about when and where the matchup will take place were scarce, but fans figured out who his opponent would be.
READ MORE: Muhammad Mokaev claims he’s the ‘Highest paid flyweight’ in the world after signing with Brave CF
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Muhammad Mokaev and Raul Rosas Jr. are set to grapple
On Thursday, Mokaev took to social media to excitedly announce he has an opponent that fight fans will be excited to see him face.
“Just signed something,” he tweeted. “Trust me you gonna like this.
“Young blood vs Young blood. Dagestan vs Mexico.”
“Who can guess this match up? It’s a grappling match.”
Almost immediately, Mokaev’s comment section was flooded with people guessing that Rosas Jr. is the unnamed opponent.
‘The Punisher’ did narrow things down quite a bit by revealing his opponent is a young Mexican that everyone would be excited to see him face.
Rosas Jr. became the UFC’s youngest-ever fighter when he was signed by MMA’s premier promotion in September 2022.
Since then, the Mexican has gone 4-1 as a UFC bantamweight to improve his professional MMA record to 10-1 by the age of 20.
Rosas Jr. seemingly confirmed that he is Mokaev’s opponent by revealing on his Instagram story that he has signed up for an exciting grappling contest.
He wrote: “Back in the grappling scene. Contract signed. This match will be [fire].”
‘El Nino’ confirmed the date of his meeting with Mokaev as he began the search for sponsors for the bout that he claimed will take place in ‘8 days’ time.
On Friday, it was officially confirmed that Mokaev and Rosas Jr. will headline a grappling event called ADXC 6, which will take place in Abu Dhabi on Friday, October 25.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Why was Muhammad Mokaev cut from the UFC?
Mokaev is undoubtedly one of the best flyweights on the planet and he’s never lost a fight, so it seemed strange when White didn’t offer him a new deal when his latest contract expired.
Many people believed it could have something to do with his ‘boring’ fighting style, which often sees him dominate opponents by utilizing his superior grappling skills.
The UFC boss insisted fighting style has nothing to do with it and claimed that Mokaev was cut for his behavior behind the scenes.
“Yeah, the matchmakers aren’t big fans of his for many different reasons, and not just because [of his fighting style] there’s a lot of people who shoot takedowns in this in this business,” White said about Mokaev after UFC 304.
“There are a lot of guys that fight with that type of style, but it’s a lot more than just that.”
Mokaev begged to be re-signed by the UFC and even offered to fight for free, but White stood firm on his position during a later media scrum.
He said: “I wasn’t involved in any of the stuff that happened with him.
“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 the 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.”
Related Posts
Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. This website makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact editor @pleasantgrove.business