Muhammad Mokaev's UFC departure came as a shock to many based on the fact that he was continuing to win inside the Octagon and clearly has a lot of potential.
However, things behind the scenes appear to have been troublesome for some time and this was the defining factor in the promotion's decision to not re-sign him, after he fought out his contract at UFC 304.
Dana White was recently asked to once again comment on whether Mokaev still has a future with the MMA leader in his post-fight press conference following the return of the Contender Series.
He stated that "The Punisher" only has himself to blame for being in this situation after he upset key members of the UFC team with his actions.
Though some of the off-camera issues have come to light in the public eye, there are likely other aspects of Mokaev's run in the promotion that remain untold.
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Muhammad Mokaev Details More Controversy With Fellow Flyweight Contenders
During a recent interview with Adam Zubayraev, Mokaev spoke about a previously unknown altercation that took place between him and another top flyweight.
The build to his fight with Manel Kape was very controversial, with the undefeated contender admitting after their fight to sucker punching his opponent on fight week.
Mokaev has also had a difficult, to say the least, relationship with the #3-ranked contender, Amir Albazi.
During the interview, he told a story about one confrontation between them, accusing Albazi of pulling a gun out on him and his friend before issuing them a warning and leaving the scene.
We drove away, Albazi was standing around the corner... He acted unusual. He ran out of the car and got into a fighting stance. At that time, he had a neck operation. I thought that if I beat him now, he will go to the police. He is like that. I got into fighting stance too and he pointed a gun on me. I had my friend with me. My friend tried to flinch him, Albazi didn't do anything. We drove away, he was still shouting at us saying it's better if we leave.