UFC 286 Usman vs Edwards | 18 Mar 23 | |||||
UFC 280 Oliveira vs Makhachev | 22 Oct 22 | |||||
UFC Fight Night 208 Blaydes vs Aspinall | 23 Jul 22 | |||||
Muhammad Mokaev (Russian: Мухаммад Мокаев; born 30 July 2000) is an English professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of Brave Combat Federation. 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.