British fighter Muhammad Mokaev has spoken out after being brutally cut from the UFC despite extending his winning streak at Saturday's event in Manchester.
Russia-born Mokaev cruised to a unanimous decision victory against Manel Kape in their flyweight bout at UFC 304 at Co-op Live, improving his overall record in MMA to 13-0.
It was a hugely satisfying result for Mokaev, who had clashed with Kape in the build-up to the fight – with the two fighters involved in an ugly brawl at the fighters' hotel on the eve of the event in Manchester.
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He has now won all seven of his fights in the UFC since joining the company in 2022.
But in a shock move, UFC boss Dana White cut Mokaev from the promotion during his post-event press conference.
When asked whether the Dagestan-born fighter would remain with UFC after back-to-back points decision victories, White said: "The matchmakers aren't big fans of his for many different reasons, and not just because [of his fighting style]... there's a lot of people who shoot takedowns in this in this business.
"There are a lot of guys that fight with that type of style, but it's a lot more than just that.
"He's not under contract anymore. I think the PFL is going to get a great, undefeated guy. Good luck to him."
Mokaev took to X to thanks his fans for their support in the wake of the shock decision.
"Thank you to all my true fans that supported me from the beginning! I see you all," he posted.
In a separate post, he added: "Allah gives me power in every situation in my life! Alhamdulillah."
In his post-fight press conference, Mokaev explained why he had clashed Kape in the build-up to the event, after footage emerged of the British fighter punching his opponent at the fighters' hotel.
"You know this was important to me. Five days before my Alex Perez fight, I met with Manel [Kape]. He head-butted me. If you watch my Alex Perez fight, I went to fight with [a] cut, with eight stitches. They stitched up my eyebrow," explained Mokaev.
"When I went to fight with Alex Perez, everybody thought I was a boring wrestler. But I was shooting to [not risk] opening my cut... in [an] interview, he said once he comes to Manchester he [was] going to do it a second time.
"So, I couldn't come close to him in the hotel. So I told him, 'let's come take [a] picture,' and once he came over, I dropped him.
"I had to do it, I can't be bullied. I come from a rough background, my life was tough, I give no sh*t to anyone to bully me."
Topics: MMA, UFC, Dana White
Rory O'Callaghan