Tag: Muhammad Mokaev

Alex Perez not surprised Steve Erceg got UFC title shot, despite Muhammad Mokaev’s ‘tougher resume’

Alex Perez explains why he’s not surprised by Steve Erceg’s UFC title shot at flyweight.

LAS VEGAS – Many were puzzled to see [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag] get a title shot against UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja – but not [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag].

Although he might not agree with it, Perez (24-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) understands very well why Erceg ended up getting a title fight over [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag], who many, including Perez, thought was more deserving of the opportunity.

“If you look at resumes, Mokaev has a tougher resume, I believe,” Perez said at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 55 media day. “He’s fought longer in the UFC, but he’s also fought Tim Elliot, who fought Demetrious (Johnson), and I fought (Alexandre) Pantoja and Deiveson (Figueiredo), and he beat me.

“But in this sport, you’re just as good as your last performance. It doesn’t matter what you did. Like I said, Steve went out there and did a good job and fought a ranked guy and beat him, then Alessandro (Costa), then comes in and finishes Matt Schnell. That’s very impressive.”

Mokaev has twice as many wins in the UFC as Erceg. Unlike Erceg, he’s unbeaten in his MMA career and has wins over two former UFC title challengers – Perez and Tim Elliott. Yet, the man fighting Pantoja in the main event of UFC 301 in Brazil on May 4 is Erceg, not Mokaev.

Perez, who returns this Saturday against Matheus Nicolau (19-4-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the main event of UFC on ESPN 55 (ESPN, ESPN+), believes it’s more than just having a better resume, it’s also about putting on dominant fights and getting finishes – something Perez feels Mokaev hasn’t done.

“Mokaev went out there, and I was coming off the couch after a year layoff, and it was hard fought,” Perez said. “I thought I won the fight. Obviously, the judges didn’t see it that way, and I can’t disagree with them, but it wasn’t his best performance. It’s also a business. I understand this guy is going in there and putting people to sleep, so why not give him a shot. It’s a business, but it’s also fighting, and you’re just as good as your last performance.”

As far as the fight between Pantoja and Erceg, Perez believes the champion will retain his belt even though he finds Erceg a formidable challenge.

“I give it to Pantoja because of the experience, but Steve is tough because he’s got crisp boxing and Pantoja has shown to get hurt,” Perez said. “Steve, I’ve seen him during fight week, and he’s a big dud, and I think I’m big for the division. He’s tall and has very good boxing. It’s hard today if he’s good on the ground because no one has taken him there. I’ve never done studies on him, so I don’t if he’s been taken down, but he’s looking like a stud. But Pantoja with the experience, and he’s got a great camp in American Top Team, I’m going to go with that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.

Steve Erceg on UFC 301: People wouldn’t have been super excited about Muhammad Mokaev title shot

Steve Erceg believes the UFC simply saw him as a more exciting option than Muhammad Mokaev for a title shot.

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag] believes the UFC saw him as a more exciting option than [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] for a title shot.

Erceg (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) challenges flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) in the UFC 301 headliner May 4 in Rio, getting the opportunity over undefeated Mokaev (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

Erceg knocked out Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night 238. On the same night, Mokaev beat former title challenger Alex Perez, but Erceg doesn’t believes Mokaev left the best impression with his performance, despite having more octagon experience than him.

“Two of the clear guys, (Brandon) Moreno and (Brandon) Royval, just fought for the title and lost,” Erceg told Middle Easy. “(Amir) Albazi and a few other people are injured. There’s others that have missed weight or haven’t fought in a while, and so it really was between me and Mokaev.

“Mokaev, he’s very young, and I don’t think people would have been super excited about seeing him fight for the title after his last performance. So, I think they were just trying to keep it interesting.”

Erceg agrees with Pantoja saying he’s lucky to get the title shot but thinks he’s made the most out of his UFC opportunities so far.

“I have been in the UFC not for very long, but my first fight was against a top-10 guy (Dvorak), then I fought in New York against (Alessandro) Costa, and then I finally got the Matt Schnell fight who again, top-10 ranked, beat him emphatically,” Erceg said. “So, I just think they liked the storyline there and obviously I’m willing to take on anybody and find out who the toughest guy is.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Muhammad Mokaev: Steve Erceg ‘still green,’ loses to champ Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301

Muhammad Mokaev thinks Steve Erceg is too inexperienced to beat Alexandre Pantoja.

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag] is too inexperienced to beat [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag].

Flyweight champion Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) defends his title at against Erceg (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the UFC 301 headliner May 4 in Rio. Mokaev was passed up for a title shot despite defeating former title challenger Alex Perez at UFC Fight Night 238. Erceg knocked out Matt Schnell on the same night to earn the title opportunity over him.

With Erceg having never gone past Round 3, Mokaev sees Pantoja’s pressure being too much.

“I think Pantoja will win,” Mokaev told TNT Sports. “I think Erceg is still green, still not as experienced to fight Pantoja. Pantoja is very, very experienced. He’s a dog in this game. He’s a bully fighter.

“He comes, tries to finish you from early seconds, and then when he cannot finish you, he breaks. That’s the key I’ve learned from watching Pantoja, I’ve trained with him, and I know I have the keys to beat him.”

As for Erceg, Mokaev doesn’t see him hanging with Pantoja on the ground.

“Erceg has really good boxing, but ground game is not there,” Mokaev continued. “Especially he just fought, he’s not a wrestler, he doesn’t have the condition to work for five rounds. Every great striker once they get taken down, they cannot strike second and third round the same as they can in the first round.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Muhammad Mokaev baffled by Steve Erceg’s UFC 301 title shot: ‘They can delay, but they cannot deny my destiny’

Muhammad Mokaev was pretty angry to find out that Steve Erceg got a UFC flyweight title shot over him.

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] was pretty angry to find out that [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag] got a UFC flyweight title shot over him.

At UFC Fight Night 238 earlier this month, Mokaev (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) defeated former title challenger Alex Perez. On the same night, Erceg (12-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) notched his first octagon finish when he knocked out Matt Schnell. With flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) looking to defend his title at UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio, the promotion opted to give Erceg the title shot over Mokaev.

“They gave the opportunity to ranked No. 10, Steve Erceg, who has only three fights in the UFC,” Mokaev told talkSPORT. “I have more finishes in the UFC than he has fights in the UFC. I don’t know why they’ve done this, but what me and my team decided, I’m fighting everybody in this division. They can delay, but they cannot deny my destiny.”

Mokaev thinks the lack of a finish is what hurt his chances.

“They told me before the fight, if you finish Alex Perez, you’re fighting for the belt,” Mokaev said. “I didn’t finish Alex Perez. I didn’t feel well in the morning of the fight. I know casual fans don’t care how you feel. They will say, ‘Excuses,’ but it’s not just me, 95 percent of the fighters don’t feel well in the training camps. Not going into fights 100 percent, it was me that fight.”

Mokaev has shifted his focus to Brandon Royval, who was also campaigning for a second shot at Pantoja after defeating Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 237. Mokaev wants Royval on the UFC’s rumored Manchester card in July.

“Soon I will be back Just waiting on Royval , now sure if he wants to come to Manchester 🤔.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 5: Muhammad Mokaev, Umar Nurmagomedov climb

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 238 in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 238 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was the sole source of rankings moves in this week’s update.

First, in the bantamweight division, [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] turned in a dominant performance against Bekzat Almakhan after getting clipped early, still earning multiple 10-8 scores on the official cards. Entering the week at No. 15, Nurmagomedov jumps up to No. 12.

In the next fight, [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] picked up a key win in the flyweight division, earning a unanimous nod over Alex Perez. Mokaev entered the week at #6, and exits one spot higher, breaking into the top 5.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Video: Khabib Nurmagomedov is against Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway. Does he have a point?

Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t thrilled with the ramifications of Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway at UFC 300. Fair or foul?

One of the most anticipated fights on the UFC 300 lineup is the BMF title fight between [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] and [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]. However, not everyone is excited about it.

Count UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] among those who are not fans of this matchup.

“All respect for Max Holloway, but I don’t know, and I don’t understand why UFC make this fight,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie recently.

Nurmagomedov would rather see Holloway face featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and Gaethje matchup against Islam Makhachev in the coming months. According to “The Eagle,” this matchup could prevent two of the best title matchups from coming together in the featherweight and lightweight divisions.

Is Khabib right, or are his comments out of bounds? Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Farah Hannoun, Simon Samano and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below on YouTube.

 

Video: Do Umar Nurmagomedov and Muhammad Mokaev deserve title shots after UFC Fight Night 238?

Umar Nurmagomedov and Muhammad Mokaev stayed undefeated at UFC Fight Night 238, but their performances left something to be desired.

[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] both remained undefeated at UFC Fight Night 238, but their performances might’ve left something to be desired.

Nurmagomedov, No. 13 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings, earned a clean-sweep unanimous decision against Bekzat Almakhan but not before he was rocked in the first round and had to recover from a knockout. Mokaev, No. 8 at flyweight, claimed a unanimous decision by three scores of 29-28 in a fight with Alex Perez that seriously tested his will to win.

Considering neither Nurmagomedov nor Mokaev could score a finish, did either one break through enough in their respective divisions to earn a title shot? Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Farah Hannoun, Simon Samano and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below on YouTube.

Challenge issued after Brandon Royval throws shade on Muhammad Mokaev’s UFC Fight Night 238 win

Brandon Royval and Muhammad Mokaev exchanged words as they both campaign for a UFC title fight.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] and [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] exchanged words as they both campaign for a title fight.

Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) edged out former champion Brandon Moreno in the UFC Fight Night 237 main event in Mexico City. Prior to that, Royval fell short to flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja for a second time in their title fight this past December at UFC 296.

A week after Royval beat Moreno, Mokaev (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) defeated former title challenger Alex Perez Saturday at UFC Fight Night 238. Royval took aim at Mokaev’s performance with a simple remark on X.

“This is y’all’s boy 😂😂.”

Mokaev, 23, wasn’t impressed with Royval’s win over Moreno either, suggesting they fight in a No. 1 contender bout.

“You got choked out by Pantoja then 45-50 in second fight UFC coming to Manchester in July, come fight me, I’m undefeated , you’re 16-8 in you career, taking same route as Artem Lobov.”

With Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) looking to defend his title at UFC 301 May 4 in Brazil, both fighters said they’ll be ready to go by then. Royval initially had a scare about his knee but confirmed he’ll be able to fight in May.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.

Spinning Back Clique LIVE: Sean O’Malley’s big moment, UFC 299 vs. UFC 300, Ngannou-Joshua stakes and more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel breaks down this week’s Francis Ngannou-Anthony Joshua boxing match, UFC 299, UFC 300 and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Farah Hannoun, Simon Samano and Brian “Goze” Garcia will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • A huge moment in [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s career is on deck this week: his first attempt at a defense of his bantamweight title, and he’ll do it against the only man to beat him – Marlon Vera. Considering O’Malley handpicked Vera for his first title defense, and he’s talked up a big game heading into UFC 299, is Saturday a must-win situation for the brash superstar? What would a loss do to his star power?
  • UFC 300 next month is the one that rightfully is getting the lion’s share of headlines – and it’s positively loaded. But holy smokes, let’s just be honest: UFC 299 on Saturday in Miami is plenty stacked, too – to the point there’s a legitimate argument to be made that it might be a better card than the big round number coming up a few weeks after it. Right? Right? We’ll break down the fights in Miami that could steal the show – and ponder if UFC 299 could steal UFC 300’s thunder when all is said and done.
  • Former interim lightweight champion [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag], the reigning “BMF” belt holder, meets former featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] in what should be an all-timer at UFC 300. But UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov said Gaethje-Holloway makes no sense because it leaves Islam Makhachev in limbo. And former dual-champion Henry Cejudo thinks Holloway should be pulled from UFC 300 to book him vs. Ilia Topuria in Spain. They’ve got us thinking: Did the UFC mess up by booking Gaethje vs. Holloway for a title that is merely a gimmick, given the potential impact on the two divisions?
  • By the end of the week, we should have a really good idea just how serious [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s boxing pursuits are going to become. The former UFC heavyweight champion, now signed to the PFL for MMA, boxes Anthony Joshua on Friday in Saudi Arabia. If he wins, on the heels of his knockdown and close loss to Tyson Fury in his pro boxing debut, there is talk he could wind up with a heavyweight boxing title shot. So how much pressure is on him in the Middle East?
  • At UFC Fight Night 238 this past Saturday, a pair of fighters had opportunities to really stake their claims for title shots. [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] outworked Alex Perez at flyweight and said afterward his performance suffered because he was sick the day of the fight. And [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] was dominant against short-notice newcomer Bekzat Almakhan at bantamweight – but got knocked down in the first round. Did merely winning do enough for them, or should they have won impressively to stand out? We’ll break down what’s likely next in each of their divisions.

UFC Fight Night 238 post-event facts: Umar Nurmagomedov on the rise in bantamweight books

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 238, which saw Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Muhammad Mokaev and Umar Nurmagomedov make noise.

The UFC opened its March schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 238, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event saw [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) overcome a slow start to batter [autotag]Shamil Gaziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a referee TKO stoppage after the end of the fourth round, putting him back on the winning track.

For more on the numbers behind the card, which featured six finishes in 11 fights – and a couple of them unique – check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 238.