Muhammad Mokaev provides injury update after surviving brutal kneebar, says not tapping boosted confidence

After overcoming a dangerous kneebar submission attempt by Jafel Filho, up-and-coming UFC prospect Muhammad Mokaev managed to secure another win this past weekend, extending his unbeaten streak.

Mokaev, one of the most highly touted prospects in the organization, found himself in a precarious position in the third round of the fight as Filho hyperextended his knee. Nevertheless, his resilience and determination forced him to power through the pain and secure a submission win moments later.

Muhammad Mokaev recently opened up about his win at UFC 286. Just under a week after the fight, 'The Punisher' shed light on his injury and revealed that his refusal to tap only boosted his confidence.

The unbeaten 125-pounder tweeted:

"Much more confidence added to my game because I didn’t tap! Pain is temporary, I’m still on the crutches but my heart feel very good right now."

---

Muhammad Mokaev adresses tapping allegations

Jafel Filho, who fought against Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 286, accused 'The Punisher' of tapping out at least three times during their bout, with the referee failing to notice. Mokaev has now denied these claims.

In his recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the British combatant said:

"If I didn't tap to my knee, do you think I would tap to - what'd he say, guillotine, right? Guillotine wasn't even locked. How the hell do people actually believe I would tap to this guillotine? His foot was in my boxers and he said, 'sorry, sorry.' He stopped, and I said, 'all good, all good, let's go.' That's what I said. Come on, why would I tap in a position where there's nothing?"

Catch Mokaev's comments below:

With his sensational win over Filho at UFC 286, Mokaev extended his professional record to 10-0. His UFC record stands at 4-0 with three submissions, which has seen him climb to the No.12 spot in the flyweight rankings.

'The Punisher' is looking to break Jon Jones' record and become the youngest champion in UFC history, so will have to claim gold by early next year to achieve this feat. He is expected to return later this year.