Muhammad Mokaev appears to be done asking the UFC for a second chance. When a fan on X asked whether he still wanted a reunion with the promotion, the undefeated flyweight seemed to wave the idea off, BJPenn.com reported Friday. It’s the first time since his release that he has sounded uninterested in going back.
That’s a sharp turn for a guy who has spent a long stretch doing the opposite. After his exit, Mokaev repeatedly called on UFC matchmakers to bring him back, and his social media following grew fast in the meantime. Now his attention has shifted to Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. In a recent post he wrote, “MVP x PFL is the future!”
How he got here
The release still ranks among the stranger personnel decisions the UFC has made at 125 pounds. Mokaev beat Manel Kape at UFC 304 and was let go anyway, despite never having lost in MMA. According to BJPenn.com, his relationships with the matchmakers and with CEO Dana White had soured, and that friction led to the abrupt split. He had been closing in on a possible title shot, with wins over Tim Elliott and Charles Johnson on his UFC résumé.
View post on X
There’s an awkward footnote for the UFC side of this. Kape, the man Mokaev beat on his way out the door, is now heavily rumored to face Joshua Van for the flyweight title. That fight hasn’t been officially announced, but Kape is already talking about it, saying he believes Van will be too slow for him.
Mokaev has kept the zero intact since leaving. He picked up wins under the Brave CF and 971 FC banners, and his most recent combat sports appearance was a Hype FC grappling match against UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan earlier this year. Nothing is formally booked for his next MMA fight.
Why MVP makes sense now
Timing hurt him the first time around. When the UFC cut him after UFC 304, there was no strong second promotion for a fighter of his profile to jump to. That has changed. MVP held its first MMA event earlier this year, headlined by UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey against Gina Carano, and BJPenn.com reports the promotion goes full-time in 2027. His MVP x PFL phrasing points to the two outfits working together, though nothing in his post or the report spells out the terms of any arrangement.
No deal has been announced. Everything here comes from Mokaev’s own posts, and a fighter eyeing a deal is a long way from a signed contract.
My take: this is the right call, and it’s a little overdue. Mokaev’s wrestling-heavy, high-pace style is the kind of flyweight game I’d watch every month, and he has spent too much time pleading with a front office that already gave its answer. A young, unbeaten 125er with a big online following is exactly the kind of name a promotion going full-time needs on its first 2027 cards. The bad news for flyweight fans is that we may never get the version of the division where he settles things inside the UFC, and the man he already beat is the one rumored to be getting the title shot.
