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Muhammad Mokaev celebrated his journey from being a refugee and earning £5 per day to winning a $50,000 performance bonus at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Aspinall this past weekend.
Mokaev fled Dagestan with his father in 2012 and migrated to the UK as a refugee. He was in the Liverpool Refuge Centre for 30 days and he used to be given just £5 per day as an allowance. 'The Punisher' found life difficult in the UK as he wasn't accustomed to the culture.
Mokaev got into wrestling from an early stage and has traits similar to fellow legendary Dagestani grappler Khabib Nurmagomedov. He amassed a 23-0 record on the amateur circuit before turning professional and has been undefeated in his first seven professional fights.
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After his win over Cody Durden at UFC London, Mokaev had the following to say on Twitter:
"From £5 per day as a refugee @ukhomeoffice to winning 50k @ufc bonus at the O2 arena in London"
Mokaev proved that the hype was real with his debut at UFC London on Saturday. The highly touted 21-year-old prospect needed just 58 seconds to land a flying knee that sent Durden to the canvas. He followed it up with a nasty guillotine choke to put away his American foe with a raucous British crowd cheering him on.
Anthony Joshua agrees Muhammad Mokaev could become a "future GOAT"
Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua recently agreed that Muhammad Mokaev could become the GOAT in the future.
The emerging flyweight prospect entered the octagon boasting a 6-0 professional record and riding an impressive victory over Blaine O’Driscoll in his final outing under the Brave CF banner.
After his victory over Durden, many pundits and fans have branded Mokaev a future star and champion in the UFC, a sentiment even shared by 'AJ'.
A fan replied to Anthony Joshua's initial tweet announcing that he would be attending UFC London, saying that he missed the debut of Mokaev. The fan also suggested 'The Punisher' is the "future GOAT," to which Joshua responded:
“I agree"
Now 7-0 with one no-contest on his resume, Mokaev will certainly be a name to watch in 2022 and beyond as he immediately injects new excitement into the UFC flyweight division.
