Aljamain Sterling reacts to UFC letting go of Muhammad Mokaev: "I think it's f*cked up"
Muhammad Mokaev defeated Manel Kape via unanimous decision on the preliminary card of UFC 304. 'The Punisher' improved to 7-0, with four submission finishes, since making his promotional debut in March 2022. While he was approaching the point of flyweight title contention, with his clash with 'StarBoy' labeled as a title eliminator, his contract was not renewed.
Aljamain Sterling weighed in on the UFC's decision to let a young, undefeated contender walk during a recent interview with MMA Fighting, stating:
"I think it's f**ked up. I don't think there was any real reason to cut him. I mean, you could say the piggybacking of the fight at the [UFC Performance Institute], but that takes two to tango. I know Mokaev was the first one to talk s**t... To put your arm around someone to take a picture and then sucker punch them, I think that's a little bit too low for me. I don't know. I think that one is very, very dirty."
Sterling added:
"You got one guy who's undefeated, gets cut. It's weird and then you hear that supposedly he was told, 'if you don't want to get cut, don't keep shooting for takedowns'. And I don't think he really kept shooting for takedowns in that fight against Manel. I thought he actually fought a really good fight. I thought both of them brought a really good fight. Outside of the animosity, I thought it was a really good fight."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's full comments on Muhammad Mokaev's departure from the UFC below:
Sterling noted that the feud between Mokaev and Kape led to increased expectations for the bout. The former bantamweight champion added that, while it was not a barnburner, he believed it was a good technical bout.
Muhammad Mokaev denies PFL rumors
Following UFC CEO Dana White's shocking announcement that Muhammad Mokaev would not be brought back, fans began to speculate as to the reason for his departure. One rumor that gained traction was that 'The Punisher' had entered negotiations with the PFL while still under conract.
Mokaev took to X to deny that rumor while adding that his dream is to become a UFC champion, stating:
"My dream is to become UFC Champion I turn them all down because UFC gave me the platform to put my name out there and earn money to feed my family! btw PFL don’t have flyweight division All these journalists that make this shit up are idiots! I hope Dana resigns me, this is my dream to become champion!"
Check out Muhammad Mokaev's tweet denying the PFL rumor below:
It remains unclear what led to Mokaev's departure from the promotion. The undefeated flyweight appeared to be next in line to receive a title opportunity following his victory over Manel Kape.