Fighter accuses UFC of denying him the chance to break "American star" Jon Jones' record
A UFC fighter recently spoke out about a wasted opportunity to create promotional history. UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev has accused the UFC of denying him the chance to break Jon Jones' record as the youngest champion in UFC history.
At the end of 2021, Mokaev, who was only 21 years old at the time, signed a contract with the UFC. He defeated Cody Durden in 58 seconds to begin his UFC career and made no secret of his desire to become the organization's youngest champion in history. He added two more victories in 2022 to finish the year 3-0. He went 2-0 in 2023, advancing to the No.6 spot in the rankings.
However, Mokaev's dream of becoming the youngest-ever UFC champion is shattered now. He will turn 24 in only two weeks, which is older than Jones' record of 23 years and nine months, which he set by defeating Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua back in 2011.
In a recent interview with TitleSportsNet, Mokaev claimed that the reason he hasn't received a title shot despite being very close to contesting flyweight gold is because the UFC didn't want him to break Jones' record.
''I believe I could have been [the] youngest UFC champion. Jon Jones become [the] youngest UFC champion when he was 23 years old and nine months. I’m still 23. I think I’m the most active after Jon Jones from the young generation. I think I could have got it, but just maybe UFC didn’t want me. I think Jon Jones is a star, American star. I think they want to keep him there, one hundred percent.''
Check out Muhammed Mokaev's comments below:
As a professional MMA fighter, Mokaev is 12-0 with one no-contest. He will square off against Manel Kape at UFC 304 on July 27.
When Muhammad Mokaev speculated on Jon Jones' body language following interaction with Tom Aspinall
Jon Jones is unsure about his future following his title defense against Stipe Miocic later this year. Despite this, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is still pursuing a title unification fight and has already taken Jones by surprise at a meet-and-greet earlier this year.
In an interview with TNT Sports, UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev expressed his thoughts on the faceoff between the two heavyweights, saying:
''I always look at the body, mechanics of the person. The thing he put on his shoulder, I think Jon is aware [that] he's a challenge. He's a real challenge at the moment right now to Tom. If he wasn't a real challenge, he would hug him back, take a photo, say, 'Kid, all the best.' You know, but he didn't."
Check out Muhammed Mokaev's comments below: