UFC London (UFC Fight Night 204) at the 02 Arena in London, England is headlined by heavyweight candidates Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall. Also on the map are English favorites like Arnold Allen, Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann, Welsh fighter Jack Shore, and many others. On a stacked map, there are a ton of fan favorites. One of these is Muhammad Mokaev’s highly anticipated debut against Cody Durden (12-3-1, 1-1-1).
Muhammad “The Punisher” Mokaev
Stand at 5’9 ″
Fight with 125 lbs (flyweight)
21 years old
From Russia but living in Manchester, England
Training from KHK MMA Team
A pro record of 5-0
1 KO / TKO, 3 Submission
What to expect from Muhammad Mokaev in the UFC:
Worldwide, Mokaev is one of the most hyped prospects to come to the UFC in a long time. Mokaev had an exceptional amateur career with 23-0 and was a four-time IMMAF gold medalist. The young 21-year-old for the most part looked stellar and frankly dominant. He was contacted to fight in the Contender series last year, but declined it as he said he felt he deserved to sign with the UFC right away and here he is. One with so much hype, usually some will say he is overrated and that is just not the case here. Winning over people like Blaine O’Driscoll and Abdul Hussein proves he’s the right deal.
The young man has so far in his career looked stellar and dominant. Mokaev has excellent wrestling and is very qualified on the mat. His positional grappling and ground and pound are very good. On his feet he has a nice flow with his kicks and mixes punch and kick very well together. Mokaev is extremely well rounded and I still see no flaws in him. I like Mokaev both flyweight and bantamweight. I think he will excel quickly in flyweight but has the potential to do well in two divisions. Mokaev is championship material and I predict he will eventually carry gold. I do not think he just runs through everyone and wins the title within two years. I think he will have setbacks but at his age he is without a doubt destined for gold.
How he fits in with Durden:
Durden has struggled in boxing and kickboxing, but is primarily a wrestler. He throws some heavy leg pieces and an overhand right but shoots quickly to the legs. Sometimes he will scratch his way into his pocket, but once he does, he moves to get the takedown. I see him take down Mokaev and that would be his biggest way to victory. I think Mokaev’s movement and speed will cause problems. On my feet, while Durden poses a threat, I am much more confident in Mokaev. I think Mokaev is better everywhere.
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