Who is Muhammad Mokaev fighting this weekend? Find out here 

UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev will return to action this weekend at UFC 286.

Mokaev will take on Jafel Filho on March 18, 2023, on the preliminary card of UFC 286 at The O2 arena in London. The unbeaten flyweight will be Filho's first opponent in the octagon after the Brazilian graduated from Dana White's Contender Series last year.

Mokaev has won all three of his outings in the UFC, with two submission victories and one unanimous decision win. A fourth win on the trot should aid his case as he looks to break into the top 10 of the flyweight rankings.

Saturday will mark the British fighter's third appearance at The O2 in just four fights in the UFC. 'The Punisher' has enjoyed a strong start and has banked on the massive support from his home base in England.

Muhammad Mokaev made his debut at the same venue for UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall. He put on a show as he submitted Cody Durden in the very first round and earned the Performance of the Night bonus. His second fight also came at the same venue against Charles Johnson.

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Muhammad Mokaev details the struggle of finding an opponent in the flyweight division

Muhammad Mokaev's strong start to life in the UFC has led to a shortage of willing opponents for the Dagestani-born fighter.

Ahead of his fourth UFC fight, Mokaev detailed his experience being avoided by other fighters on the roster. In an interview with The National, Mokaev mentioned several names and expressed his readiness to take on anybody:

“I tried to call out all top-15 guys. I tried to fight anyone, because at this stage I believe I’m ready. I never say to UFC, ‘Can you get me this guy?' I don’t care. [UFC matchmaker] Mick Maynard offered me David Dvorak, Matt Schnell, Amir Albazi and Tim Elliott. Four top-15 guys. Amir Albazi didn’t want to; Dvorak blocked me because I called him out on [an Instagram] story, he didn’t accept it. Matt Schnell said he doesn’t want to fight in UK. I don’t understand, is the cage different in the UK? Maybe he doesn’t like the pressure."

Muhammad Mokaev also named Tim Elliott as a potentially exciting matchup and spoke of his plans for the upcoming fight night:

"And Tim Elliott is actually injured. So I couldn’t get anyone from the top 15. One name I was offered, Jafel Filho, accepted... I’ll be top 10, top nine. And then I believe somebody from top five will accept me. I don’t know, if Tim Elliott can be injury free it will be an amazing match-up. I need a finish [this weekend]. I want Round 2. And I will do my best to finish him.”