Muhammad Mokaev has denied any rumors that his team were tapping up other promotions in order to try and secure a new deal whilst he was signed to the UFC. The 24-year-old currently finds himself as a free agent after fighting the last bout on his contract at UFC 304 last month.
The undefeated Mokaev (13-0) had been hoping to put on a performance worthy of a new deal, but following his win over Manel Kape, Dana White confirmed he would not be re-signing with the promotion.
The UFC CEO suggested that ‘The Punisher’ wasn’t being offered a new contract due to the matchmakers taking issue with events behind the scenes.
Following his release, rumors then began circling that there was more to Mokaev not being offered a new contract, with a report suggesting his team had been speaking to other promotions whilst he was signed to the UFC.
Mokaev then took to X to address the situation, and bluntly denied any wrong doing by himself or those around him. According to the Dagestani-Brit, he wasn’t seeking a better contract with the UFC because he’s not motivated by money.
In a now-deleted tweet, Muhmmad Mokaev wrote:
“Some people actually believe my team was negotiating with other organisations while I was in the UFC because I needed more money! Nobody from my team did this sneaky stuff! This year I fought 2 times and still haven’t received money from the UFC, not because the UFC not sending me, they’re always sending money on time.”
Check out the full tweet here:
Dana White says Muhammad Mokaev did “everything wrong”
Dana White recently opted to shed some light on the controversy surrounding Muhammad Mokaev’s UFC release.
Following White confirming Mokaev wouldn’t be signing a new deal at the UFC 304 post-fight presser, a host of rumors began circling about the reasons why. Whilst many suggested it was due to his fighting style, reports have suggested Mokaev’s attitude and talking to other promotions lead to his dismissal.
White then provided some more details about the situation during a recent press conference for the latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series. He said:
“It is what it is… This is an opportunity, to be here and to perform in front of the entire world. He’s [Muhammad Mokaev] just a guy that did everything wrong and p*ssed these guys off. I wasn’t involved with any of the stuff that happened with him, but the matchmakers and Hunter [Campbell] were, and they weren’t happy with him. They weren’t happy with the way he acted.”
