Muhammad Mokaev defends sucker punching Manel Kape ahead of UFC 304: "He did the same to me"
Following the weigh-ins ahead of their UFC 304 bout in Manchester, England last month, the bad blood between Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape spilled over, and the pair were caught brawling inside the fighter hotel. 'The Punisher' later admitted that he was the one to strike first after pretending he wanted a photograph with 'Starboy.'
Watch a clip of the brawl here:
Responding to a fan on X who criticized him for sucker punching Kape, Muhammad Mokaev revealed he only did so because Kape had headbutted him in Las Vegas after pretending he wanted to shake hands, and that he had no regrets over his actions.
He wrote:
"He is the one who cut my head a couple of days before my fight. He head butted me when I went to shake his hand. What I did isn't the right thing to do but what I've done I don't regret because he did the same to me"
Check out Mokaev's tweet here:
Muhammad Mokaev denies "sneaky dealings" by his team whilst under UFC contract
Following his lackluster win over Manel Kape at UFC 304 last month, Dana White confirmed that Mokaev was set to be a free agent and that the promotion had decided to let him go.
His release then lead to speculation as to why the UFC would let go of an undefeated prospect like him. Following his win over Kape, Mokaev improved his record to 13-0, and made it seven wins in a row under the UFC banner.
Recent reports, however, suggested that it may have been due to Mokaev talking to different promotions in an attempt to secure more leverage in his negotiations with the UFC over a contract.
'The Punisher' has since denied the rumors. In a since-deleted tweet, 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:
