Muhammad Mokaev just had his debut fight in the UFC and it couldn't have gone much better as the 21 year old blitzed Cody Durden with a flying knee and then submitted him just 58 seconds into their bout.
It was a great result for Mokaev, especially after revealing he'd broken his hand in three places six weeks out from UFC London. The Dagestan-born fighter refused to pull out and miss a chance to perform in his adopted home country, and now has a highlight reel finish for his first UFC fight.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Muhammad Mokaev once again gushed about how well the UFC took care of him through fight week.
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"UFC fighters they always say the pay is bad, especially Francis Ngannou was saying. Maybe, maybe. But backstage what the guys are doing ... As soon as I arrived they looked after me. They probably spent maybe like five grand over me in this week, doing my medicals, doing my stuff around, taking care of my team. From nutrition to weight clut, everything was sorted. Basically you just have to stay focused for your fight, they was doing everything. It was something that I'd never seen before."
Watch Muhammad Mokaev's full interview on The MMA Hour below:
Muhammad Mokaev called out Cody Durden after racist comments from the American fighter
Muhammad Mokaev asked for and received the match-up he wanted after watching US fighter Cody Durden insult an Asian fighter he'd just beaten, saying he 'had to send him back to China where he came from.' That didn't sit well with Mokaev, who called out his shot on Twitter.
Four months later and Mokaev made good on his vow to smash the guy and establish himself as a threat at flyweight.
Next up for Muhammad Mokaev is a bit of downtime to heal his hand, but after that he's looking to jump into the rankings by fighting No. 11 ranked Tim Elliot next.
During his UFC London post-fight press scrum, Mokaev said:
“I know there’s top 15 guys like Tim Elliott. I’d love to fight him. I know maybe people say it’s too fast – you have to go through the guys. If Cody would have beat me tonight, he’d have been top 15. … So why not put me in the top 15? I’ll fight anyone in the top 15 and I’ll be fast-tracked to the title. He’s been around this game for a long time.”
Mokaev is looking to become the youngest UFC champion in the history of the promotion. That means he's got just two years to beat Jon Jones, who won the light heavyweight title at 23 years old.