New UFC signing Mokaev on how Chimaev's advice lead him here

[Unheralded Truth]

The 21-year-old newcomer Muhammad Mokaev (6-0 in pro MMA) is fighting out of Manchester, England. Ahead of his debut in the UFC flyweight division (March 19 in London) he's now revealing that Khamzat Chimaev was the one who pushed him to go professional after having gone 23-0 in the amateur ranks between the age of 15 - 19.

"Yes I did speak to him. After I won the 2019 world championships he tried to convince me. He said: 'listen, stop smashing these amateur guys, let's go professional and build the name'. I did that, and now I'm in the UFC, and I'm a bigger name now than if I had not turned professional, and also this will build my experience."

He's now sending a heads-up to the UFC flyweight division, as he's starting to believe he can break the record for youngest UFC champion (current record holder Jon Jones was 23 years and 8 months old).

"I think maximum three or four fights is needed because people want to see this. And if people want to see this, the UFC will help me with it. I just have to win the fights nicely and then I'm there. The flyweight division is not stable, every year the champion is changing. Since Demetrious Johnson went away it's not stable. One time people perform good and another time they perform bad, even Figueiredo and Moreno. When us young guys come, it's a different game."

Source: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/ufc/muhammad-mokaev-cody-durden-london-26116656

 

[Dreyga_King of Sherbums]

Will be shocked if doesn’t wear a belt before it’s all said and done.

That said the UFC will probably put him in the long path to the title

 

[theincognito]

Whether or not he breaks the record, it'll be nothing compared to what Jones did back then. LHW was the top division. Flyweight sucks.

 

[13Seconds]

Whether or not he breaks the record, it'll be nothing compared to what Jones did back then. LHW was the top division. Flyweight sucks.

Nah those dudes were on their way out. Flyweight is filled with guys in their prime.

 

[textwarrior]

Has that Dagestan wrestling pedigree, saw some highlights, he is real good at picking people up and tossing them where they don't want to be. Gains position pretty quickly.

 

[Luckyme]

He's pretty big for a flyweight which gives him an advantage out of the gate. It's crazy how many fights he's already had at his age. Looks impressive in highlights but let's see how he does in the big leagues.

Paddy is another hyped UK guy that nearly lost in the UFC and probably won't crack top 10 in his division. But I have a feeling Mokaev has a higher ceiling than Paddy.

 

[NoSmilez]

125 is a tough division. Everyone knows how to do everything. Weaknesses will be quickly exposed and exploited.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

I think Hadley and Kleydson are bigger prospects personally but Mokaev is good and should do pretty well.

 

[Poirierfan]

He's pretty big for a flyweight which gives him an advantage out of the gate. It's crazy how many fights he's already had at his age. Looks impressive in highlights but let's see how he does in the big leagues.

Paddy is another hyped UK guy that nearly lost in the UFC and probably won't crack top 10 in his division. But I have a feeling Mokaev has a higher ceiling than Paddy.

I don't think Mokaev and Paddy is a fair comparison, Paddy has nothing for the top guys at lightweight.

 

[SokoudjouFanboy]

He's pretty big for a flyweight which gives him an advantage out of the gate. It's crazy how many fights he's already had at his age. Looks impressive in highlights but let's see how he does in the big leagues.

Paddy is another hyped UK guy that nearly lost in the UFC and probably won't crack top 10 in his division. But I have a feeling Mokaev has a higher ceiling than Paddy.

A feeling? The two aren't comparable as prospects.

 

[SokoudjouFanboy]

I think Hadley and Kleydson are bigger prospects personally but Mokaev is good and should do pretty well.

Hadley? I like reading your opinions and respect them but I don't really see the same kind of ceiling for Hadley as I do Mokaev.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Hadley? I like reading your opinions and respect them but I don't really see the same kind of ceiling for Hadley as I do Mokaev.

I'm pretty confident in it, I think Jake is physically stronger and better off his back than Mokaev.

 

[Luckyme]

I don't think Mokaev and Paddy is a fair comparison, Paddy has nothing for the top guys at lightweight.

True, he has more upside than Paddy but I'm always cautious about any hyped prospects until they are tested in the UFC. It's a whole different ballgame and guys who looked like world beaters in other orgs (i.e., Ben Askren) flopped once they faced a step up in competition.

 

[SokoudjouFanboy]

True, he has more upside than Paddy but I'm always cautious about any hyped prospects until they are tested in the UFC. It's a whole different ballgame and guys who looked like world beaters in other orgs (i.e., Ben Askren) flopped once they faced a step up in competition.

Ben Askren was in his mid 30s and had hips made of paper mache by the time he signed with UFC

 

[SokoudjouFanboy]

I'm pretty confident in it, I think Jake is physically stronger and better off his back than Mokaev.

We'll see I guess. I don't really envision Mokaev spending a ton of time on his back, but we'll see how it goes and who he gets matched up with.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

We'll see I guess. I don't really envision Mokaev spending a ton of time on his back, but we'll see how it goes and who he gets matched up with.

I think it'll depend on how he matures physically. He didn't have it all his own way against O'Driscoll or Hussein. I also think that Shanks, Zulu and Raposo are all better guys than anyone Mokaev has fought.

 

[Luckyme]

Ben Askren was in his mid 30s and had hips made of paper mache by the time he signed with UFC

That excuse gets thrown around a lot for Ben but I don't really buy it. Here's why.

The guys that Ben fought in the UFC were older than him (Maia + Lawler) or the same age (Masvidal) with lot more miles on them. Less than 2 years prior to his UFC debut, he was winning fights in Asia so despite his age and injuries, he was still capable of competing in MMA.

I'm not disputing that Ben's performance was affected by a combination of age and injury but it's like that for many fighters so it can't be the sole reason for his failed UFC career. Michael Bisping has cast doubt upon the severity of his hip surgery after which he was able to box Jake Paul and coach wrestling just fine.

 

[SokoudjouFanboy]

That excuse gets thrown around a lot for Ben but I don't really buy it. Here's why.

The guys that Ben fought in the UFC were older than him (Maia + Lawler) or the same age (Masvidal) with lot more miles on them. Less than 2 years prior to his UFC debut, he was winning fights in Asia so despite his age and injuries, he was still capable of competing in MMA.

I'm not disputing that Ben's performance was affected by a combination of age and injury but it's like that for many fighters so it can't be the sole reason for his failed UFC career. Michael Bisping has cast doubt upon the severity of his hip surgery after which he was able to box Jake Paul and coach wrestling just fine.

He was fighting terrible competition in Asia because ONE has no welterweight division. His peak was well before that and you could see that even towards the end of his run in ONE. It just didn't matter as much there because the division is so weak.

It's hard to judge miles and how they affect certain guys because no two guys or paths are the same. Ben had a lifetime of high level wrestling under his belt by his mid 30s. That should be taken into account.

It's also worth noting Maia was always the worst possible match up for him, even in his prime.

 

[TerrorTimmy]

Has that Dagestan wrestling pedigree, saw some highlights, he is real good at picking people up and tossing them where they don't want to be. Gains position pretty quickly.

My favorite grappling moment in the UFC is still Mighty Mouse's flying armbar. Ridiculous speed.

But that's what the FLWs bring. Super quick and technical fighters and every one of them is highly skilled.

Mokaev is going to be a great addition to the division. He's got a good style to match up against Moreno or Figueiredo, too

 

[Luckyme]

He was fighting terrible competition in Asia because ONE has no welterweight division. His peak was well before that and you could see that even towards the end of his run in ONE. It just didn't matter as much there because the division is so weak.

It's hard to judge miles and how they affect certain guys because no two guys or paths are the same. Ben had a lifetime of high level wrestling under his belt by his mid 30s. That should be taken into account.

It's also worth noting Maia was always the worst possible match up for him, even in his prime.

Some good points above. The one thing I agree with you on is his competition prior to the UFC wasn't great. That's one reason why he never evolved as a fighter. When you're not being continually challenged, there's no need to step up your game. At the top level, all fighters are well rounded and are constantly evolving and improve their skillsets. Ngannou, Olivera, Usman, etc. all got better as fighters over the years.

Ben on the other hand never really progressed beyond a one dimensional wrestler. He didn't need to because he spent much of his career fighting cans in Asia.

I think if Ben had gotten into the UFC sooner, he could have trained at AKA or another top gym that have helped him expand his skillset.