"Taking same route as Artem Lobov" - Muhammad Mokaev roasts top flyweight, calls out for a fight at UFC Manchester
Muhammad Mokaev was able to remain undefeated, picking up a unanimous decision victory over Alex Perez at UFC Fight Night 238. Following the victory, the No.8-ranked flyweight took to Twitter to respond to criticism from Brandon Royval while calling him out for a matchup at UFC Manchester.
The No.1-ranked flyweight shared two tweets during the bout, claiming that 'The Punisher' should have lost:
"This is y’all’s boy 😂😂"
"Anyways I’ll be ready for UFC 301 lol Perez 29-28"
Check out Brandon Royval's tweets on Muhammad Mokaev below:
Mokaev responded to Royval by calling for a title eliminator bout, saying:
"You got choked out by Pantoja then 45-50 in second fight UFC coming to Manchester in July , come fight me, I’m undefeated , you’re 16-8 in you career , taking same route as artem lobov."
Check out Muhammad Mokaev's response to Brandon Royval below:
While Royval lost to Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision in a UFC 296 title bout, he was able to bounce back at UFC Fight Night 237 last weekend, defeating Brandon Moreno via split decision after taking the bout on short notice. Despite initial concerns that he may not be healthy for UFC 301, 'Raw Dawg' revealed that his knee has been cleared.
Muhammad Mokaev made his case for next title shot ahead of UFC Fight Night 238
Muhammad Mokaev is hoping to be the next flyweight to challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the title. Speaking at the UFC Fight Night 238 media day, 'The Punisher' said:
"I have trained with Pantoja after my debut and I haven't seen anything special in him that he has a priority in skill advantage. This morning, he actually said he would like to fight me if I beat Alex Perez instead of Brandon Royval. Brandon Royval, I think he has ACL [injury]. Brandon Moreno is 0-3 against Pantoja, Royval 0-2 against Pantoja."
He continued:
"[Manel] Kape is probably going to have one more fight because he didn't make weight last fight. [Amir] Albazi is injured. Kai Kara-France has a concussion because when I asked to fight him, Mick [Maynard] said he's got a concussion so he won't be able to fight you. Now, I'm the only challenger, but I have to beat Alex Perez in an impressive way."
Check out Muhammad Mokaev's comments on the flyweight title picture below:
Mokaev said he would be ready to make a ten-week turnaround to face Pantoja at UFC 301, claiming that his amateur career prepared him to fight every weekend. He did, however, acknowledge that he would likely need a finish to earn a title opportunity. It remains to be seen if he will fight for the belt next despite needing the judges to defeat Alex Perez.