Former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev will be leaving mixed martial arts for his next fight.
Mokaev surprisingly found himself outside of the sport’s leading promotion shortly after his win at UFC 304 in Manchester last July. In a lackluster affair, the Dagestan-born Brit outpointed Manel Kape to move to 13-0 as a pro and 7-0 in the UFC.
With a victory over “Starboy,” Mokaev was anticipating a potential title shot. But seemingly owing to his conduct behind the scenes, “The Punisher” was instead let go after fighting out his contract.
The 24-year-old was quick to complain about the decision publicly, even offering to fight for free if it would allow him back into the UFC. His efforts evidently fell on deaf ears, however, and he’ll need to put the work in outside of the Octagon to stake his claim for a new deal.
Thus far, that has included one victory back under the Brave CF banner last December. To kick off his campaign for 2025, however, Mokaev is venturing outside of his comfort zone.
After much speculation, "The Punisher" confirmed this week that he'll debut in Karate Combat at the organization's upcoming event in Dubai on May 2.
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"May 2nd, Dubai. @KarateCombat. My first ever sport was karate, then I moved to wrestling," Muhammad Mokaev wrote. "I just wanna compete and stay active. And building my striking experience. I always will have plan B, which is wrestling, but I need to work on plan A"
The move will see Mokaev swap the cage for "the pit," with Karate Combat fighting taking place in a square combat pit surrounded by 45-degree angled walls. Wrestling, submissions, and elbows are not permitted.
Mokaev will mark the latest high-profile name to compete in the promotion, which has already staged fights featuring the likes of Luke Rockhold, James Vick, Benson Henderson, and Anthony Pettis.