Personal Life

Muhammad Mokaev was born to a Kumyk family in Buynaksk, Dagestan, Russia. At age 12, he moved to England with his Father after his Mother passed away, and the pair were placed in a refugee camp in Liverpool on their arrival. Mokaev had tested the waters of freestyle wrestling while in Dagestan but finally found a love for it after joining the Manchester Wrestling Club in 2013. In freestyle wrestling, Mokaev became a two-time British Champion and two-time English National champion, as well as a two-time ADCC UK gold medalist in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before debuting in professional MMA.

Mokaev married his wife, Khava Eldarbekova, in September 2020.

He is a devout Muslim and a fan of Football and Rugby League outside of fighting.

Amateur Career

Mokaev amassed an astonishing 23-0 amateur record from 2015-2020, and the highlights supplied by Mokaev speak for themselves. He ended his amateur career with 4 knockouts, 3 submissions, and the IMMAF WMMAA OCEANA Championship. Mokaev fought all over the globe as an amateur: England, Bahrain, Italy, and Australia.

As an amateur, Mokaev fought 23 times in 5 years.

Professional Debut and First Fights

Only 5 months removed from his final amateur fight, Mokaev found himself in a professional fight for the first time, taking on Glenn McVeigh in Stockholm, Sweden, at Brave FC 37. Mokaev won the fight unanimously and shifted his undefeated run as an amateur into a professional setting.

Mokaev's 3 following fights would see him earn his first finishes as a pro, a TKO over Hayden Sherriff, a submission over Jamie Kelly, and another TKO over Dave Jones. Mokaev would interchange between Brave FC and the Celtic Gladiator promotion during this finish streak.

Mokaev's next fight would be his first at his current weight class of 125 lbs against Abdul Hussein. This fight was a grappler's delight and is often described as "non-stop scrambling." Mokaev won the fight unanimously; this fight would be the final fight in Mokaev's win streak, as in the next one, he landed an illegal groin strike, rendering his opponent, Ibragim Navruzov, unable to continue and resulting in a no-contest.

Mokaev's final fight before joining the UFC would come in September of 2021 against Blaine O'Driscoll, who Mokaev submitted in the second round.

Mokaev was now 6-0 (1 NC) with 2 KO/TKOs, 2 submissions and 2 decisions. All 7 of these fights came in just over 1 year.

UFC Debut and Career

Mokaev would make his long-awaited UFC debut at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall in March 2022 on home soil in London, England. Mokaev faced battle-tested Cody Durden and locked in a quick submission in less than a minute of the fight. This victory would earn Mokaev a Performance of the Night bonus on a card full of finishes.

Mokaev would continue to stock up wins in his next fight, this time facing UFC newcomer Charles Johnson, who he defeated by unanimous decision.

Mokaev would have 1 final fight in 2022 and submitted Malcolm Gordon via armbar with 34 seconds remaining in the fight.

Mokaev's most recent fight showed us a lot about his toughness and determination; despite his opponent, Jafel Filho, locking in a big knee bar submission, Mokaev was able to fight through and turn the fight around to score a submission of his own in the final round. Mokaev suffered a partial MCL tear as a result of the submission attempt from Filho and has been inactive since.

Mokaev is now 10-0 (1 NC) and 4-0 in the UFC, with 2 KO/TKOs, 5 submissions and 3 decisions. Mokaev has won 1 Performance of the Night bonus and has more or less dominated every opponent pitted against him.

The future is bright for Mokaev, and he has come so far in such a short amount of time.

Catch Muhammad Mokaev in his next fight against Tim Elliott at UFC 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2.