Muhammad Mokaev

Muhammad Mokaev (Russian: Мухаммад Мурадович Мокаев; born 30 July 2000) is a British professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of Brave Combat Federation, where he is the inaugural Brave CF Flyweight Champion. He formerly competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background Mokaev was born in Buynaksk, Dagestan, Russia, to a Kumyk family. At the age of 12, he and his father moved to England, shortly after his mother had died. They lived in a refugee centre in Liverpool upon their arrival, being given £5 a day. Within a month they were moved to Wigan.

He had tried his hand in freestyle wrestling in Dagestan, but only started enjoying it when he joined the Manchester Wrestling Club in 2013 and started competing. Mokaev is twice a British Championship medallist and an English National champion (twice medallist), and has competed at the 2021 U23 World Championships finishing 5th and the 2021 Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial. In the junior level, he is a four-time British Champion, winning the tournament from 2014 to 2017, and also competed at the 2017 European Championships.

Mokaev picked up Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling as well, becoming a two-time ADCC UK champion (intermediate division) in the latter.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career Mokaev made his amateur MMA debut in November 2015 and compiled four wins by the end of the following year in 2016. On 11 February 2017, Mokaev became the flyweight champion for Taking FC, defeating his opponent via unanimous decision. He was 16 years old at the time. Over the next four years he would go undefeated, finishing off as champion as IMMAF Amateur junior bantamweight champion in 2018 and 2019. Originally Mokaev started training in MMA at Kaobon MMA gym in Liverpool under the tutelage of Colin Heron. He worked and earned his gym membership by cleaning mats at the gym. He received a "Fight of the Night Bonus" for this fight.

Mokaev's second fight was against Hayden Sherriff under the Celtic Gladiator 28 card in England. Mokaev won the fight 51 seconds into the first round via TKO. Accredited MMA record keeper website Tapology has listed this bout as ineligible to be recorded as a professional MMA bout. They stated that "(Sherriff) Has purposely participated in bouts with no reasonable path to victory, displayed a lack of competitive effort, and is unjustifiably matched against far more skilled opponents. (He) has knowingly competed and/or listed themself under false names or aliases in order to hide their actual record or identity, or for another improper purpose." Sherriff officially has an 0-13 record in professional MMA and an 0-10 record in amateur MMA according to Sherdog, all of his losses have come in the first round.

His third fight was against Jamie Kelly, from Rochdale, fighting out of SBG gym under Martin Stapleton. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke, and received a "Fight of the Night" bonus.

His next fight was against Dave Jones under the Celtic Gladiator 28 promotion in Glasgow and he won the fight in the third round.

Mokaev faced Abdul Hussein at the Brave Combat Federation 49. It was described as "15 minutes of non-stop scrambling". The fight was won by decision by Mokaev.

His fight with Ibragim Nazurov at Brave Combat Federation 51 was ruled as a no-contest due to a low kick when Ibragim Nazurov was deemed unable to continue after absorbing a first round low blow.

He faced Blaine O'Driscoll at Brave Combat Federation 54 and won the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship On 17 November 2021, Mokaev signed with UFC.

Mokaev made his UFC debut against Cody Durden on 19 March 2022. He won the fight via guillotine choke in round one. With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.

Mokaev faced Charles Johnson in his second UFC bout on 23 July 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Mokaev faced Malcolm Gordon on 22 October 2022, at UFC 280. He won the fight via armbar in the third round.

Mokaev faced Jafel Filho on 18 March 2023 at UFC 286. He won the fight via a neck crank submission in the third round.

Mokaev faced Tim Elliott at UFC 294 on 21 October 2023. He won the fight by arm triangle submission in the third round. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Mokaev faced Alex Perez on 2 March 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238. Mokaev won the bout by unanimous decision.

Mokaev faced Manel Kape on 27 July 2024, at UFC 304. He won the fight by unanimous decision. At the event's post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White said "‘PFL is going to get a great undefeated guy", that Mokaev's contract would not be renewed "for many different reasons" implying outside-the-cage-issues and that he was no longer with the promotion.

Return to Brave CF On 24 August 2024, it was reported that Mokaev re-signed with the Brave Combat Federation. However, days before the event, Biko was forced to withdraw due to health issues and was replaced by Joevincent So in a 130 lb catchweight bout on two days' notice. Mokaev won the fight via a brabo choke submission in the first round.

Mokaev was scheduled to face former ONE Flyweight Champion Adriano Moraes on May 16, 2026 at MVP MMA 1. However, Mokaev withdrew from the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by Phumi Nkuta. On June 6, 2026, Mokaev faced former LUX Flyweight Champion Jorge Calvo Martin at WOW FC 31, where he secured a technical knockout victory in just 42 seconds.

Grappling career Mokaev competed in the no gi featherweight division of the BJJ 247 Manchester Open on 17 March 2024, where he was disqualified from his first match for slamming an opponent and lost his second match by submission.

Mokaev was due to compete against Raul Rosas Jr. in the main event of ADXC 6 on 25 October 2024. Rosas Jr withdrew from the match and was replaced by Rogério Bontorin, which Mokaev blamed on Rosas Jr.’s UFC contract. Mokaev lost the match by split decision.

Mokaev stepped in on just two days’ notice to face Arman Tsarukyan in a grappling match at Hype Fighting: Brazil on March 11, 2026. Despite the weight discrepancy, Mokaev moved up three weight classes—from flyweight—to face the lightweight contender, eventually losing via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 7:46 of the first round after being rendered unconscious.

Karate Combat

Mokaev won his debut at Karate Combat 54 on 2 May 2025 via flying knee.

Personal life Mokaev married Khava Eldarbekova in September 2020. He is a devout Muslim and has publicly criticized the act of Quran burning. Mokaev became a UK citizen in 2021. Mokaev is a supporter of the EFL League One football team Wigan Athletic and Super League rugby team, Wigan Warriors.

Popular culture Beyond the UFC: An Inside Look at BRAVE CF 91: The documentary, directed by MMA filmmaker Will Harris provides an inside look at Muhammad Mokaev's return to BRAVE CF at BRAVE CF 91. The film captures the chaotic fight week leading up to the event, including a last-minute opponent change and weight class adjustment, and offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on Mokaev's training at KHK MMA alongside world champions and Olympic medalists.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Two times) Tied (Brandon Royval) for third most submissions in UFC Flyweight division history (4) UFC.com Awards 2022: Ranked #3 Newcomer of the Year LowKick MMA 2021 #3 Ranked Prospect of the Year MMA Fighting 2022 Third Team MMA All-Star 2023 Third Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record Win

Jorge Calvo TKO (punches and elbows) WOW 31

Madrid, Spain Win

Gerard Burns KO (head kick and punch) Brave CF 100

Isa Town, Bahrain Win

Thomas Assis Decision (unanimous) 971 FC 2

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Win

Joevincent So Submission (brabo choke) Brave CF 91

Isa Town, Bahrain Win

Manel Kape Decision (unanimous) UFC 304

Manchester, England Win

Alex Perez Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Tim Elliott Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC 294

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Jafel Filho Submission (neck crank) UFC 286

London, England Win

Malcolm Gordon Submission (armbar) UFC 280

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Charles Johnson Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall

London, England Win

Cody Durden Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall

London, England Win

Blaine O'Driscoll Submission (rear-naked choke) Brave CF 54

Konin, Poland NC

Ibragim Navruzov NC (accidental groin kick) Brave CF 51

Minsk, Belarus Win

Abdul Hussein Decision (unanimous) Brave CF 49

Manama, Bahrain Win

Dave Jones TKO (submission to punches) Celtic Gladiator 28

Glasgow, Scotland Win

Jamie Kelly Submission (rear-naked choke) Brave CF 43

Manama, Bahrain Win

Hayden Sherriff TKO (body kick and punches) Celtic Gladiator 27

Manchester, England Win

Glenn McVeigh Decision (unanimous) Brave CF 37

Stockholm, Sweden Win

Abdulla Mubarak Submission (rear-naked choke) 2020 IMMAF-WMMAA Oceania Championships: Finals

Gold Coast, Australia Win

Abdulla Alyaqoob Decision (unanimous) 2020 IMMAF-WMMAA Oceania Championships: Semifinals

Gold Coast, Australia Win

Reo Yamaguchi Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA Junior World Championships: Day 4, Finals

Manama, Bahrain Win

Tynyshtyk Zhanibek Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA Junior World Championships: Day 3, Cage 3

Manama, Bahrain Win

Nikolay Atanasov Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA Junior World Championships: Day 2, Cage 2

Manama, Bahrain Win

Max Hynninen Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA Junior World Championships: Day 1, Cage 1

Manama, Bahrain Win

Mikey Boden TKO (punches) World Combat FC 3

Manchester, England Win

Myles Richards Decision (unanimous) Caged Steel FC 23

Sheffield, England Win

Reo Yamaguchi Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA European Junior Open Championships: Junior Finals

Rome, Italy Win

Batir Sharukhanov Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA European Junior Open Championships: Day 3

Rome, Italy Win

Abanoub Fares TKO (punches) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA European Junior Open Championships: Day 2

Rome, Italy Win

Ciaran Mulholland Decision (unanimous) UK Fighting Championships 9

Preston, England Win

Reo Yamaguchi Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA Unified Junior World Championships: Day 5, Finals

Manama, Bahrain Win

Ismael Zamora Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA Unified Junior World Championships: Day 4, Cage 1

Manama, Bahrain Win

Nurbolat Oteuov Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA Unified Junior World Championships: Day 3, Cage 2

Manama, Bahrain Win

Imran Satiev Submission (rear-naked choke) 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA Unified Junior World Championships: Day 2, Cage 3

Manama, Bahrain Win

Jack Eglin TKO (slam & punches) UK Fighting Championships 5

Preston, England Win

Sebastian Gonzalez TKO (punches) Tanko FC 4

Manchester, England Win

Liam Gittins Decision (unanimous) Tanko FC 3

Manchester, England Win

Markus Hægland Decision (unanimous) Tanko FC 2

Manchester, England Win

Jose Rufino TKO (punches) ICE FC 18

Bolton, England Win

Ash McCracken Decision (unanimous) Full Contact Contender 17

Manchester, England Win

Jake Hinton Submission (rear-naked choke) Shinobi War 6

Manchester, England

Submission grappling record

Result Rec. Opponent Method text-center| Event Date Location Loss

Arman Tsarukyan Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Hype FC Brazil: Rio Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Loss

Rogério Bontorin Decision (split) ADXC 6 Abu Dhabi, UAE Loss

Zain Hayat DQ (illegal slam) BJJ 247 Manchester Open Manchester, England

Karate Combat record Win

Bolat Zamanbekov TKO (flying knee) Karate Combat 54

Dubai, United Arab Emirates